Pomposo

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a character word, alone or after a tempo word, at the start of a movement or a ceremonial section; it holds until the next character word. It describes manner, so the dynamic and tempo come from the markings around it.

How Composers Use It

Pomposo asks for ceremony and display: full tone, broad and emphatic rhythm, a sense of occasion. It overlaps with maestoso but is more outward and theatrical, and on slight material it can tip into irony. Reserve it for passages whose scoring can carry the grandeur; on a thin texture it reads as ironic whether you mean it or not.

Related Terms