A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Largo

by George Grove

LARGO, i.e. broad, an Italian term meaning a slow, broad, dignified style. Handel employs it often, as in the Messiah in 'Behold the Lamb of God,' 'He was despised,' and 'Surely.' Haydn uses it for the Introduction and first Chorus in the 'Creation,' as well as in the Introduction to the 3rd Part. Beethoven employs it only in P.F. works, and it is enough to mention some of the instances to show what grandeur and deep feeling he conveyed by this term,—op. 7; op. 10, no. 3; op. 37; op. 70, no. 1; op. 106. He often accompanies it with passionato, or some other term denoting intense expression. Mendelssohn uses it for 'broad' in the Andante of his [App. p.697 "Quartet in E♭"] op. 12.

The term Largamente has recently come into use to denote breadth of style without change of tempo. Largo implies a slow pace, but the very varying metronome marks applied to it show conclusively that style and not pace is its principal intention.

[ G. ]