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Very, quite. Allegro assai = very fast. Similar to molto but slightly less emphatic.
Assai is an older intensifier that appears frequently in Classical-era scores. It is roughly synonymous with molto but has a slightly more measured quality. Beethoven uses both interchangeably.
Mozart's Symphony No. 41, finale — Allegro molto assai (very fast indeed), reflecting the exuberant energy of the Jupiter finale.
Assai is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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