Larghissimo

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a movement or section heading, spelled out in full and often with a metronome mark. It governs until the next tempo word; since it names an extreme, any later relative direction (Più mosso, Poco meno lento) is read against it.

How Composers Use It

The superlative of largo: the slowest broad pulse a performer can sustain, with the breadth and weight largo implies rather than lento’s plainer slowness. It is rare because words at this extreme tend to collapse into the same speed. If the exact pace matters, add a metronome mark, and check that phrase lengths and held notes stay playable — wind breaths, bow lengths — at that speed.

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