Assez

As Printed on a Score

Printed before the word it moderates, most often in a tempo heading at the head of a piece — Assez lent, Assez vif, Assez animé — and occasionally in a running direction (assez libre). It lasts as long as the word it qualifies.

How Composers Use It

Assez means “fairly, rather”, not “enough”, and it is a false friend of the Italian assai, which means “very”: Assez vif is a moderately quick tempo, Allegro assai a very fast one. French composers lean on it for headings that name a character without an extreme, which suits music built on shading. If you need the stronger degree, write très; if you need less than assez, write un peu.

Example

Debussy, Pour le piano, first movement (Prélude), m. 1: “Assez animé et très rythmé” — a moderate tempo word paired with an emphatic rhythmic one.

Related Terms