sostenuto

[ sos-tuh-noo-toh, soh-stuh-; Italian saws-te-noo-taw ]

/ ˌsɒs təˈnu toʊ, ˌsoʊ stə-; Italian ˌsɔs tɛˈnu tɔ /

Music.

sustained or prolonged in the time value of the tones.

a movement or passage played in this manner.

Origin of sostenuto

1715–25; < Italian, past participle of sostenere; see sustain

sos, sosa, sosatie, soseki, sosnowiec, sostenuto, sostenuto pedal, sot, soter, soteriology, sothern

It is fuller and rounder in quality than the soprano—less flexible, and more adapted to a sostenuto or declamatory style.

Advice to Singers |Frederick James Crowest
A good effect is produced in a sostenuto theme by commencing the vibrato slowly on a crescendo note.

Chats to 'Cello Students |Arthur Broadley
Is not the Sostenuto bellow of the arriero almost the only approach to melody that the peasant ever attempts?

Excursions in the mountains of Ronda and Granada, with characteristic sketches of the inhabitants of southern Spain, v. 2/2 |Charles Rochfort Scott
"But my tremolo—my sostenuto will be ruined," said Hippolyte wildly.

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, February 18th, 1920 |Various

The basis of phrasing then, may be found in legato, sostenuto and contrast.

The Head Voice and Other Problems |D. A. Clippinger

sostenuto

/ (ˌsɒstəˈnuːtəʊ) /

music (preceded by a tempo marking) to be performed in a smooth sustained manner

C18: from Italian, from sostenere to sustain, from Latin sustinēre to uphold