What term describes smooth and connected musical notes?

The term that describes smooth and connected musical notes is legato. When a piece of music is performed legato, the notes are played or sung in a flowing manner, with no noticeable breaks or pauses between them. This technique allows the melody to have a seamless and lyrical quality, which can evoke a sense of emotion and continuity in the music.

Legato is often indicated in sheet music by a curved line connecting the notes, signaling to the performer to maintain a smooth transition from one note to the next. This contrasts with other terms such as staccato, which indicates a detached, sharply cut-off articulation of notes, creating a different expressive quality. Crescendo refers to a gradual increase in volume, while accelerando indicates a gradual increase in tempo. Each of these terms serves a specific function within music, but legato directly relates to the smoothness and connectivity between melodic notes, making it the correct choice for this question.