Allegro molto vivace

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a heading, often at the start of a song or a fast movement; it governs until the next tempo word.

How Composers Use It

A stacked heading — fast, very lively — that asks for speed and sparkle together, often for exuberant songs and scherzos. Stacked qualifiers can blur: check whether Allegro vivace or Presto would say the same thing more simply. If you keep all three words, a metronome mark tells performers how far “molto” is meant to push the tempo.

Example

Hensel, “Nach Süden” (5 Lieder, Op. 10), voice, m. 1: “Allegro molto vivace”, opening the song at f.

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