Marcato (Italian for marked) is a form of staccato. True marcato entails performing the note with a sforzando (sfz) attack and a sustain of two-thirds (occasionally three-quarters) of the original written length at same or increased volume, to notes preceding or succeeding it. An audible counted rest should follow (rest length: one-third to one quarter the marcato note written value)[1][2]. Marcato, as applied to other orchestral instruments, particularly winds, refers to a note articulation which combines the fortepiano (fp) or sforzando (sfz) of the accented note with a duration reduced to two-thirds of its written value (the other third being occupied by a rest); hence, in big-band jazz circles the ^ symbol for marcato, which appears above the note, is also known as a "jazz staccato." (A true staccato has a steady volume and a duration of half its written value; the other half is occupied by a rest)[3].
According to author James Mark Jordan:
"the marcato' sound is characterised by a rhythmic thrust followed by a decay of the sound[4]"
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