What is a slur in musical notation?

• A. A curved line connecting identical pitches to sustain.
• B. The manner of playing notes, including attack and release.
• C. A curved line indicating legato between notes.
• D. A simple cyclic canon where voices enter in imitation.

Answer: (C)

A slur is a curved line that shows notes should be played smoothly in one connected gesture, linking different pitches with a legato feel. It tells you not to re-articulate each note, but to flow from one to the next as a continuous sound. It doesn’t add time value.

If the curved line connects the same pitch to itself, that’s a tie, which simply holds the note for a longer duration rather than creating a new note with a fresh attack. The other options describe articulation in general or a musical form, which aren’t what a slur marks.