In musical notation, tenuto (Italian, past participle of tenere, "to hold"), denoted as a horizontal bar adjacent to a note, is a direction for the performer to hold or sustain a note for its full length.
[1][full citation needed] Its precise interpretation can be somewhat contextual in practice, especially when combined with dynamic directions affecting loudness.
Either way, the tenuto marking indicates that a note should receive some degree of emphasis.
[2][full citation needed] Tenuto is one of the earliest directions to appear in music notation.
The mark's meaning may also be affected when it appears in conjunction with other durational articulations.