Allegro deciso

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a heading, often marking a new section after a slower or quieter passage, and in force until the next tempo word. In piano music it may be paired with a touch or pedal direction such as tre corde, signalling the fuller sound the decisive character needs.

How Composers Use It

Deciso asks for clarity of intent: firm attacks, no hesitation, rhythms placed exactly. It suits a theme that must assert itself after something tentative, which is why it often marks the arrival of a new section rather than the start of a piece. It overlaps with risoluto; pick one. If the passage also needs weight, add marcato in the part rather than another adjective in the heading.

Example

Liszt, Ballade No. 2 in B minor, m. 70: “Allegro deciso”, printed with “tre corde” after a pp passage, the dynamic rising from mf to f.

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