Solenne

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 lasts until the next heading.

How Composers Use It

Solenne asks for solemnity: grave, measured, dignified playing with full sustained tone and no haste. It is weightier than religioso and less outward than maestoso or pomposo, the solemnity of ritual rather than of display. Use it where a slow tempo and broad scoring already point that way, such as a chorale-like brass passage or a processional section.

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