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Where does the word "glissando" come from? It comes from Italian glissando, and was adopted directly into English (1850s).
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Where does the word "glissando" come from? It comes from Italian glissando, and was adopted directly into English (1850s).
Glissando’s story begins in Italian: glissando meant “sliding, gliding.” From French glisser (to glide), describing a sliding run of notes. It reached English by 1850s as glissando. A mock-Italian formation from French 'glisser', to slide. Today, glissando means a continuous slide upward or downward between two musical notes.
- Stage 1 · Italian · 1800s glissando "sliding, gliding", from French glisser (to glide), describing a sliding run of notes.
- Stage 2 · English · 1850s glissando "a sliding glide between two musical pitches", a mock-Italian formation from French 'glisser', to slide.