Sehr breit

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff at the climax of a broadening, often after a direction such as “mit grosser Steigerung” and followed shortly by a tempo; it holds until the next tempo word.

How Composers Use It

Very broad: a marked slowing with maximum weight, usually at the peak of a phrase or song. Wagner places it at a climax and returns to a tempo almost at once, so the broadening is a moment, not a section. Use it sparingly; it loses force if the music is already slow.

Example

Wagner, Wesendonck-Lieder, No. 4, “Schmerzen”, voice, m. 22: “sehr breit”, after “(mit grosser Steigerung)” and before “a tempo” at m. 23.

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