What does allargando mean?
"Allargando" is a musical direction of Italian origin that instructs a performer to make the music progressively broader and slower. Derived from the Italian verb "allargare," meaning "to widen" or "to broaden," it literally suggests opening out the sound. In practice, a passage marked allargando is played with a gradually decreasing tempo and an increasingly full, expansive tone — often near the end of a movement or piece to create a sense of grandeur and finality. It sits alongside related terms such as "rallentando" and "ritardando," which indicate simple slowing; what distinguishes allargando is its emphasis on breadth and weight as much as on reduced speed. The term appears almost exclusively within musical scores, performance notes, and commentary on classical music, making it a specialist word rather than everyday vocabulary. For listeners, hearing a passage performed allargando means sensing the music stretch outward — each phrase given more room, each cadence more deliberate — a device composers use to lend endings a feeling of majesty and repose.
adverbA musical direction indicating that the tempo should gradually slow down and the style become broader and more sustained. It is used chiefly as an instruction in written scores, typically appearing above or below a passage.
- As a musical direction (adverbial term) instructing performers to broaden the tempo and style, gradually slowing while playing in a fuller, more expansive manner.
"The conductor marked the final bars allargando, letting the symphony swell to its grand conclusion."
"The pianist played the coda allargando, each chord arriving with increasing breadth and weight."
"In the final measures, the orchestra was directed to perform allargando, stretching the tempo for a majestic close."
While 'rallentando' just tells you to ease off the gas, 'allargando' asks for something grander: slow down AND play like you own the concert hall.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of allargando
The term comes from the Italian "allargando," the gerund of "allargare," meaning "to broaden" or "to widen," itself formed from "a-" plus "largo" (broad), ultimately from Latin "largus." Like most standard tempo and expression markings — such as allegro, andante, and crescendo — it entered musical usage through Italian, which served as the common language of European music from the seventeenth century onward. Its Latin root also gives English words such as "enlarge" and "large."
How allargando is actually used
Strictly a technical term of musical notation and performance practice rather than general vocabulary. It appears almost exclusively in printed scores, rehearsal directions, and writing about music. Performers generally interpret it as combining a gradual slowing of tempo (like rallentando or ritardando) with an increase in tonal breadth and expressiveness.
Easily confused with allargando
Rallentando simply means gradually slowing down, whereas allargando additionally calls for a broadening, more expansive style along with the slowing.
Ritardando is a straightforward gradual decrease in tempo, while allargando implies both slowing and a fuller, weightier manner of playing.