Largamente

What it means

Largamente is the adverbial form of largo and means “broadly, expansively.” It calls for a broad manner of playing: the notes are held out fully, the phrases spanned widely, the sound stays sustained. The tempo is thereby held back, yet the emphasis lies on the manner of performance, not on a number.

Herein lies the distinction from largo: this is a tempo word and as such heads whole movements. Largamente, by contrast, describes how one is to play, and often stands in the middle of a movement or as an addition to another tempo word. It differs from allargando in that the latter means a process — a becoming broader — while largamente designates a state. Related in effect is sostenuto, which calls for holding back and sustaining.

In the notation

The word stands in italics above the staff, either as an addition after a tempo word or alone at the point from which the broad manner of playing is to apply. It is often found with long note values, full-grip chords, or unison passages, that is, where the notation already suggests breadth.

Musical use

The marking is used at climaxes and in closing sections in which the music is to gain space, as well as with themes laid out solemnly or as a hymn. It also often stands in arrangements and in orchestral literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, where a melody is carried by the full ensemble. The impression of grandeur arises here not from volume alone but from the length of the notes and the breadth of the phrases.

Performance practice

Use the full duration of every note value and let nothing break off before the next note — breadth arises from unbroken sound. Plan bow strokes, breath, or pedal so that the line is not interrupted by technical changes. Keep the tempo stable throughout; whoever additionally holds back turns breadth into dragging. And think in large units: a broadly played phrase is heard as one arc, not as a sequence of individual notes.