Allegretto scherzando

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the first system as a movement or song heading and in force until the next tempo word. Articulation directions often follow in the opening bars — sempre staccato, leggiero, pizz. — and tell players how the joke is to be delivered.

How Composers Use It

A moderate, light tempo with a wink. It suits music built on short, precise figures, where the wit comes from crispness and timing rather than speed; in Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony the winds tick out even staccato chords under the tune. Write Allegretto rather than Allegro when you want the joke heard at an unhurried pace, and support it with staccato and light dynamics in the parts.

Example

Beethoven, Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93, second movement, m. 1: “Allegretto scherzando”, with “sempre staccato” and “pizz.” among the opening directions.

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