Maestoso

Solemn and dignified

“Maestoso” is derived from “maestà” (“majesty”). As a performance direction it means “solemn, dignified, measured” or “majestic”. What is meant is a performance described as “pacato e solenne”, that is, calm and solemn. When maestoso appears alone, it suggests a tempo somewhat slower than Andante; when it accompanies a tempo word, it is only a hint about expression.

Maestoso in the score

The three sheets from the archive have in common that the word comes right at the beginning and that no further tempo marking accompanies it.

Bass voice and piano

• Air (Raphael) F. J. Haydn (as stated on the sheet) · bass voice and piano, with chords for guitar · 6 pages

  On page 1, above the first chord of the piano, is “Maestoso”, and below it f. 3/4 time, two sharps. In bar 2 and bar 3 there is fz. There is no further tempo marking on this page.

Guitar

• Etüde Nr. 1 Mauro Giuliani, op. 100 No. 1 · guitar · 1 page

  To the left of the first system are two lines: “Cadence.” and “Maestoso.”. 4/4 time, no key signature, with chord symbols. There is no further tempo or performance direction on the page.

• Niederländische Weise Felix Horetzky, No. 22 · setting for guitar · 1 page

  Under “Nº. 22” is “MAESTOSO” in italic capital letters. 4/4 time, no key signature, an upbeat of one quarter note. Bar 1 has f; after a hairpin, f appears again in bar 4.

In Haydn, maestoso appears together with f and fz signs, in Giuliani under the word “Cadence”, in Horetzky above a piece that begins with f and reaches f again in bar 4 after a hairpin.

Maestoso and pesante

Pesante means “heavy, weighty”, maestoso “solemn, dignified, measured”. Both words say something about character; neither gives a tempo in beats per minute.

Common mistakes

• Reading maestoso as a volume: It says “dignified”, not “loud”; the dynamics are given by f or p.
• Slowing down too much: Dignity comes from composure, not from slow motion.
• Playing heavily: The music should be stately and yet move forward clearly.