Allegro giusto

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a tempo heading at the start of a movement or section (in a full score, over the top staff); it lasts until the next tempo word.

How Composers Use It

Allegro giusto asks for a strict, well-judged allegro that keeps its proportions — neither hurried nor relaxed. Composers use it for quick music that should sound firm and deliberate: marches, dance-derived movements, battle scenes. Mussorgsky heads the opening Promenade of Pictures at an Exhibition “Allegro giusto, nel modo russico”, combining strictness with a national colour.

Example

Tchaikovsky, 1812 Overture, Op. 49, full score, m. 96: “Allegro Giusto.”, following the “Andante.” that began nineteen bars earlier — the overture’s first allegro.

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