Élargir

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff where the broadening begins, as an infinitive (Élargir) or imperative (élargissez); en élargissant is the gerund form. It is gradual, often coinciding with a crescendo or a climax, and lasts until a new tempo word (Lent, a tempo, au Mouvt).

Also spelled: elargir, élargissez, elargissez, élargissant, elargissant

How Composers Use It

To broaden: the French allargando, slowing with growing weight. In Attente Lili Boulanger prints it at a forte, très intense moment and then settles into Lent, so the broadening becomes the transition into the slower tempo. Give it a goal; élargir usually implies a full sound, so if you want it quiet, say so.

Example

Lili Boulanger, Attente, piano, m. 25: “Élargir” at f, with the voice marked “très intense”; “Lent” follows in the next bar.

Related Terms