Imperioso

As Printed on a Score

Printed beside the dynamic at a commanding gesture; in Scriabin it may last only a few bars before a contrasting character word takes over. It colours the passage until the next character direction.

How Composers Use It

Imperioso asks for a commanding, authoritative manner: emphatic gestures that brook no argument. Scriabin uses it in his Fifth Sonata, where it alternates abruptly with mysterious, breathless directions. It needs a dynamic beside it; unlike maestoso it does not imply breadth, and unlike deciso it suggests haughtiness as well as firmness.

Example

Scriabin, Piano Sonata No. 5, Op. 53, m. 96: “imperioso”, two bars after “rubato” and two bars before “sotto voce misterioso affannato”.

Related Terms