Allegro molto e vivace

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a movement heading, sometimes alongside a separate title such as Menuetto or Finale; it governs until the next tempo word, and a trio may keep it or carry its own.

How Composers Use It

Very fast and lively. Over a dance title such as Menuetto, it overrides the courtly pace the title implies — the tempo word, not the genre label, tells performers how the music moves, and the result is a scherzo in all but name. Use stacked headings like this sparingly, and only when each word adds something.

Example

Beethoven, Symphony No. 1, third movement, m. 1: “Allegro molto e vivace”, printed together with the title “Menuetto”.

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