agogic

Agogic is an adjective used in music theory to describe a form of rhythmic or expressive emphasis produced by prolonging a note beyond its written value. The term derives from the Greek agogos, meaning leading or drawing forth.

In practice, an agogic prolongation—often referred to as an agogic accent—emphasizes a note by extending its duration relative to surrounding notes rather than by increasing loudness or altering articulation. This temporal shading can occur within a phrase, at cadences, or at points of harmonic or melodic arrival, and it is typically realized through subtle rubato or flexible tempo without changing the notated rhythm.

Notation generally does not require a special symbol for agogic emphasis; performers implement it through phrasing and timing. The effect is perceptual, shaping musical line and contour by weight of a longer value on the target note or group of notes.

In musical literature, agogic devices appear across periods, emphasized in Romantic and 20th-century repertoire for expressive nuance. While the term is most closely associated with music, its broader English usage is limited; agogic remains the standard descriptor when describing timing-based emphasis in performance.