Maggiore

As Printed on a Score

Printed as a heading at the start of a section in the major mode — a variation, trio or episode — within or after music in the minor; Minore is its counterpart. It covers the section, and the key signature usually changes with it.

Abbreviations: magg.

How Composers Use It

The heading alerts the performer to a change of mode that the key signature alone may not show at a glance. In variation sets, a Maggiore after a Minore variation restores the home brightness; in minor-key movements, a Maggiore episode supplies relief. Use it where the change is structural; within a passage, notes and key signature speak for themselves.

Example

Mozart, 12 Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman”, K. 265 (“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”), m. 218: “Maggiore.” over “VAR. IX.” at p, after the minor-key Var. VIII headed “Minore.” at m. 194.

Related Terms