Gestopft

As Printed on a Score

Printed as “gestopft” or “gest.” over a horn passage, or as a + above single stopped notes; it lasts until “offen” (or an “o” over a note) restores the open sound, and “immer gestopft” keeps it going. The same + means bouché in French scores, but left-hand pizzicato on a string part.

Abbreviations: gest., +

How Composers Use It

In German scores (Mahler, Strauss), gestopft indicates stopped horn. The + symbol above notes is the standard shorthand. "Offen" (open) returns to normal playing.

Example

Mahler, Symphony No. 5, second movement, horns (“Sechs Hörner in F.”), m. 430: “gestopft” and “immer offen” (always open) printed over different horn lines at ff; two bars later “gest.” brings the stopped sound back.

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