Plus expressif

As Printed on a Score

Printed above or below the part where the expression should intensify, often with a cresc. or a tempo change in the same bar (Animez. Plus expressif). It lasts for the passage that follows or until a new character word.

How Composers Use It

More expressive: a comparative that only works if the previous passage had a clear expressive level. Lili Boulanger uses it as one step in a larger build, together with a crescendo or animez. Use it where the music opens up — a rising line, a new harmony — and let the dynamic marking do part of the work.

Example

Lili Boulanger, D’un matin de printemps, piccolo, m. 61: “Animez. Plus expressif”, while the piano part has “plus expressif” with cresc.

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