Strascinando

As Printed on a Score

Most often printed in the negative (“non strascinando”, “ma non strascinando”), attached to a slow tempo heading as a warning not to drag; bilingual editions pair it with German “nicht schleppend”. Used positively over a phrase, it asks for a dragging delivery, notes pulled into one another, and lasts for that phrase.

Also spelled: strascicando

How Composers Use It

Strascinando describes dragging: notes pulled heavily into each other, sometimes with portamento in voices or strings, and a tempo that holds back. Composers use it far more often as a prohibition, because slow music tends to sag, and “ma non strascinando” protects a Lento or Tranquillo from becoming lethargic. Mahler prints the warning in his songs as the Italian counterpart of nicht schleppend. Positive use is a deliberate effect, best kept to a single phrase.

Example

Mahler, Kindertotenlieder, “Nun seh’ ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen”, voice, m. 1: “Tranquillo, ma non strascinando”, the Italian beside Mahler’s German “Ruhig, nicht schleppend”.

Related Terms