A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Maestoso

MAESTOSO. 'With majesty,' or in a dignified way. It is used either alone, as a direction of time, in which case it indicates a pace rather slower than andante, or, combined with other indications of tempo, as a guide to the expression. Beethoven uses it frequently in both these ways. It occurs alone in the Pianoforte Sonata, op. 111, first movement, in the Namensfeier overture, op. 115, Quartet in E♭, op. 127, etc.; also in Pizarro's song at the end of Act I of Fidelio, 'Auf euch, auf euch, nur will ich bauen.' In the final chorus of that opera, 'Wer ein holdes Weib errungen,' the direction originally stood Maestoso vivace, but was afterwards changed to Allegro ma non troppo. The first movement of the Choral Symphony is marked Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso; the passage in the last movement to the words 'Seid umschlungen Millionen' is Andante maestoso; and the four bars of 3-4 time immediately before the final Prestissimo are marked Maestoso simply. Mendelssohn uses Allegro maestoso frequently, as in Elijah, 'I am he that comforteth,' and 'Be not afraid,' and in St. Paul very often. He uses Moderato maestoso in 'Then did Elijah the prophet.' Maestoso con brio occurs as the equivalent of the German 'Rauschend und festlich' in Schumann's Novelette, No. 5.

[ J. A. F. M. ]