Stärker

As Printed on a Score

Printed above or below the staff where the music should grow louder than what came before — alone or qualified (“etwas stärker”, “noch stärker werden”). It is relative: it names a direction of change and holds until the next dynamic.

Also spelled: staerker

How Composers Use It

Stärker is a comparative: louder and fuller than the previous level, without saying how much. It behaves like più forte or a short crescendo, and works best with the target dynamic written in. Mahler uses phrases such as “noch stärker werden” to push an already loud texture higher. Avoid it where the previous level is unclear, and do not double it with cresc. over the same notes.

Example

Mahler, Symphony No. 5, second movement, first violins, m. 389: “noch stärker werden”, with ff in the bar before and fff two bars after.

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