Grandioso

What it means

Grandioso means “grand, sublime” and calls for a performance of size and weight: broad tone production, full unfolding of sound, a tempo that leaves room for the notes, and an attitude without haste.

The marking concerns expression but has an effect on the tempo. A grand performance is as a rule somewhat broader than an ordinary one; therefore grandioso often stands where a section is to gain weight compared with its surroundings.

Related are pomposo, which means splendid and festive, nobile, which asks for dignity and nobility, and the German würdig. Where a distinction is made, grandioso means the grandeur of the impression, pomposo the festive pomp, nobile the inner attitude.

In the notation

The word is written in italics above the staff, usually after a tempo word, and applies until a new marking. Typical neighbours are full-grip chords, unison passages, dotted rhythms, and strong dynamics.

Musical use

The designation is used in closing intensifications, in codas, at the return of a main theme in full scoring, and in solemn sections. In the orchestral and piano literature of the nineteenth century it is widespread; in organ music it stands over movements that call for the full organ.

The instruction calls for a grand, sublime performance with full sound and broad motion. It usually stands at climaxes, in finale movements, or at the return of a theme in intensified form, often together with fortissimo and a somewhat broader tempo. In the music of the Romantic period, for instance in Liszt, grandioso is one of the effective means of the apotheosis. The sound should be large but not hard; weight from the arm and broad bowing help with this.

Performance practice

Take the tempo rather broad and give the notes their full duration; grandeur arises from space, not from volume alone. Keep the sound full and avoid harshness — a pressed tone seems narrow, not large. Play chords balanced so that the bass carries. And plan the intensification so that the last bar can still add.