They both actually mean the same thing musically; to go on to the next part
without a pause. To use both is redundant.
In practice, attacca almost always means to continue literally on the next
beat, so that you can't even tell by the rhythm that you changed pieces.
Segue, though, can mean the same as attacca, or it can mean to take a breath
and go on. It varies from community to community. In shows I used to write
notes to myself like "applause segue", meaning that I give the next downbeat
just as the applause peaks, giving musicians a chance as well to change their
music pages. In my mind, it was different from "attacca", which I only used in
the literal sense to indicate that the change of page didn't mean to pause at
all.
Broadway shows are notorious for misusing Italian musical terms, though, so
don't go by them as an example.
Christopher
On Thu Jul 21, at ThursdayJul 21 11:11 PM, Ryan wrote:
> Hi list,
>
> What are the exact meanings of the terms "attacca" and "segue"? I imagine
> that common usage of these terms might have strayed from the original
> meanings. I've seen "attacca segue" in plenty of Broadway shows I've
> performed, but is it redundant?
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