Cantabile vs Staccato

Side-by-side comparison of two musical terms.

	Cantabile	Staccato
Definition	In a singing style; lyrical and flowing.	Short, detached notes
Category	expression	articulation
Pronunciation	kahn-TAH-bih-leh	stah-KAH-toh
Origin	Italian	Italian
BPM	—	—
Synonyms	singing lyrical	short detached clipped
Antonyms	Staccato Marcato	legato sostenuto
Usage	The pianist shapes the melody cantabile, making the instrument truly sing.	The violins play the theme staccato in the scherzo, giving it a playful character.

Definition: In a singing style; lyrical and flowing.
Category: expression
Pronunciation: kahn-TAH-bih-leh
Origin: Italian
Synonyms: singing lyrical
Antonyms: Staccato Marcato
Usage: The pianist shapes the melody cantabile, making the instrument truly sing.

Definition: Short, detached notes
Category: articulation
Pronunciation: stah-KAH-toh
Origin: Italian
Synonyms: short detached clipped
Antonyms: legato sostenuto
Usage: The violins play the theme staccato in the scherzo, giving it a playful character.