Etwas breiter

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff where the music begins to broaden slightly, often before a cadence or a return; it holds until the next tempo word, frequently Tempo or Tempo I a few bars later.

How Composers Use It

A slight broadening — the German poco allargando — for a phrase that needs a little more weight without a full ritardando. Wolf and Schoenberg use it for local emphasis. Plan how the tempo returns, since the slower pulse continues until something cancels it.

Example

Wolf, Eichendorff-Lieder, “Der Glücksritter”, voice, m. 51: “etwas breiter”, followed by “gedehnt” two bars later.

Related Terms