Agitato

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff alone or in headings — Allegro agitato, Presto agitato, poco agitato, più agitato — often at a change of mood within a movement. It usually implies a slightly faster, restless tempo and lasts until a calmer word, a tempo or Tempo I.

How Composers Use It

Agitato implies emotional turbulence — trembling, restless, unable to settle. Use it for passages of anxiety, desperation, or inner conflict. Rhythmically, agitato often means rapid figuration, syncopation, and rhythmic instability.

Example

Chopin's Ballade No. 1 — the agitato development sections contrast dramatically with the lyrical opening theme.

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