A musical direction indicating that a passage should be played in a grand, majestic, and impressive manner.
From Italian grandioso (from Latin grandis 'large'), this is a musical term borrowed directly from Italian. It entered English through the language of musical notation and performance, where Italian remains the international standard for such directions.
Musical notation is fascinatingly international—conductors around the world use Italian words like 'grandioso,' 'allegro,' and 'forte' regardless of their native language. This Italian musical vocabulary is a remnant of Italy's dominance in music during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
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