Largement

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff or over the voice, often at a climax and with a strong dynamic. It describes a broad manner, usually with a slight widening of the pulse, for the phrase it marks, lasting until another tempo or character marking; an élargissez that follows asks for more.

How Composers Use It

The French equivalent of largamente: broad, generous phrasing with full tone, the pulse widened rather than slowed outright. It works best at climaxes and big cadential phrases. Viardot follows it two bars later with élargissez, using largement for the manner and the verb for the actual slowing — a useful division of labour when you need both.

Example

Viardot, Scène d’Hermione, voice, m. 135: “largement”, at f; “élargissez” follows at m. 137, with ff.

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