Allegro energico

As Printed on a Score

A heading printed above the first system, at a movement’s start or at a new section after a slower passage, and valid until the next tempo word. It is often extended with a second instruction — Allegro energico e passionato, Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato — that sets the articulation for the whole section.

How Composers Use It

Energico is about vigour: strong rhythmic definition, weight on the beat, accents that land. It suits sections built from bold, square gestures — a fugue subject, a ground bass, a march-like theme — and it gives players permission for a heavier sound than con brio implies. Beethoven extends it to “Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato” for the double fugue of the Ninth Symphony’s finale. Avoid stacking it with other strength words unless each tells the player something new.

Example

Brahms, Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98, fourth movement, m. 1: “Allegro energico e passionato” heads the passacaglia finale, which opens at f.

Related Terms