Maestoso

Maestoso

Maestoso (Italian pronunciation: [ma.eˈstoːzo]) is an Italian musical term and is used to direct performers to play a certain passage of music in a stately, dignified and majestic fashion (sometimes march-like) or, it is used to describe music as such. The term is commonly used in relatively slow pieces; however, there are numerous examples - such as the first movement of Mozart's Flute Concerto no. 1 - in which a faster tempo can be played in such maestoso. Common examples of maestoso tempo include Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory, the first movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21, the first movement of both Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 6 and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, as well as Chopin's Polonaise in A flat major, Op. 53.

Examples

Maestoso is also used very often for parts of pieces meant to sound large, triumphant and heroic, like the Olympic Fanfare and Theme by John Williams.

Woolly Wolstenholme, also of Barclay James Harvest, released an album titled "Maestoso" in 1980 and later released more work under the band name Maestoso, including "Songs From The Black Box" in 1994.