Allegro moderato

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a movement or section heading; it governs until the next tempo word and may return later as a reminder (a tempo, allegro moderato). The abbreviation Allegro mod. is occasionally used.

Abbreviations: Allegro mod.

How Composers Use It

A moderate allegro: brisk but unhurried, leaving room for lyrical lines and detail. Schubert uses it often, for movements that are energetic yet songful. It is a useful heading when Allegro alone might be taken too fast; for something gentler still, Allegretto is the next step down.

Example

Schubert, Moments musicaux, Op. 94 (D. 780), No. 3 in F minor, m. 1: “Allegro Moderato”, at p.

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