Leggermente

As Printed on a Score

Printed above or below the staff, as leggermente or in the older spellings leggiermente and leggieramente, often in combination (sempre dolce, leggieramente e stacc.). It holds until another articulation or character word.

Also spelled: leggiermente, leggieramente

How Composers Use It

The adverb of leggero — play lightly — so it describes a manner rather than a quality, though in practice the two are interchangeable. Liszt combines it with staccato for filigree passages. Pair it with a soft dynamic and a clear articulation so that the lightness is shaped rather than vague.

Example

Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 in B minor (“Pathétique”), third movement, piccolo, m. 204: “leggieramente” at p, rising to mp in the next bar.

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