Allargando

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. A term in music that refers to the gradual broadening of speed and sound, indicating an expansion in both tempo and acoustic richness across a performance
2. This concept embodies a gradual increase in both the intensity of sound and the pace of delivery, suggesting a widening effect in a musical context
3. A musical expression that signifies a gradual relaxation in tempo and an increase in volume, portraying a sense of expansion in performance dynamics

Etymology: Musicians borrowed this term whole from Italian, where "allargando" is the present participle of "allargare," meaning "to broaden" or "to widen." The verb itself is built from "al-," a prefix meaning "to" or "toward," attached to "largo," which means "broad" or "wide." In Italian the word is a plain description of physical space, so a road or a room could be broadened in the same way. In music, the sense shifted from space to time and volume. A performer marking a passage "allargando" asks for the tempo to slow gradually while the sound swells, so the music seems to open out as it goes. The English term carries that same instruction, though it has stayed a technical direction rather than a word for everyday broadening.