portamento
/ˌpɔːtəˈmɛntəʊ
/noun (plural portamentos or portamenti /ˌpɔːtəˈmɛnti/) Music
1A slide from one note to another, especially in singing or playing the violin: some schmaltzy portamentos [mass noun]: vibrato and portamento are kept under strict supervision...
- His intonation, mode of approaching each note and portamenti in ‘Di Cupido impiego i vanni’, his words upon arrival, with Haim's spot-on accompaniment, said it all.
- Horenstein brings out every bizarre detail and even puts some in - string portamenti where none are written, deliberate smears in the brass, even slightly sour wind playing - all of which contributes to one's psychic queasiness.
- With generous string portamenti and relaxed rhythmic pointing, Karajan also washes the Czech character out of the Eighth Symphony.
2 [mass noun] Piano playing in a manner intermediate between legato and staccato: [as modifier]: a portamento style
Origin
Italian, literally 'carrying'.