DE schwer character core term Support my free tools
How is schwer played?
The performer gives the music weight and gravity, the German counterpart to Italian pesante. Schwer carries a useful ambiguity: it means 'heavy' but also 'difficult' and 'grave/serious,' so its sense depends on context within the score. As a character marking it asks for a laden, deliberate delivery rather than a specific tempo, and it is often combined with other German expression words. It pulls the music toward mass and earnestness, away from lightness.
How does schwer sound?
The music sounds heavy and weighted, often with a grave, laboured feeling.
In context
Glossaries define schwer as 'heavy.' In wider German usage it also covers 'difficult' and 'grave,' which is why its meaning in a given score is read from context. It is a general German character word, not associated with a specific composer.
Equivalent terms
- IT pesante
- FR lourd
- EN heavy
- DA tungt