Andantino quasi allegretto

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the first system as a heading for a song or movement and in force until the next tempo word. It is sometimes extended with a character word — molto appassionato, legatissimo — that applies to the whole piece.

How Composers Use It

Quasi allegretto settles the andantino question by pointing upward: the pace should approach a light Allegretto, flowing and almost dancing. It suits songs with a lilting accompaniment, where a slower Andantino would sound heavy, and it appears in French mélodie and German Lied alike. Since the result is close to a plain Allegretto, ask whether the softer word adds something; it does when you want andantino’s gentleness at allegretto’s pace.

Example

Debussy, Deux Romances, “Les cloches”, voice, m. 1: “Andantino quasi Allegretto”, with p two bars later.

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