Mystérieux

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff or part at the start of the passage, often with qualifiers — mystérieux, soutenu; souple, mystérieux — and generally at p or below. It lasts until a new character or tempo word.

Also spelled: mysterieux

How Composers Use It

Mystérieux is the French counterpart of misterioso: hushed, veiled, with the sense that something is withheld. It suits low, quiet woodwind lines, muted strings, sur la touche colours and harmonies left unresolved. Because it describes atmosphere, players will reach for soft dynamics and a covered tone; supply the dynamic yourself and, if you want flexibility, say so — Lili Boulanger writes Poco rubato beside it.

Example

Boulanger, D’un matin de printemps, first bassoon, m. 54: “mysterieux”, a bar after a p; the piccolo’s direction in the same bar reads “Mysterieux, soutenu. Poco rubato”.

Related Terms