Maestoso

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Maestoso (pronounced [maeˈstoso]) is an Italian musical term used as a directive to play a certain passage of music in a stately, dignified and majestic fashion. 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 and the first movement of both Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 6 and also in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor.