Lively

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a tempo-and-character heading (Lively, Lively and bright) or inside a longer English direction, and held until the next tempo word. English editions also use it to translate Vivace and the German Lebhaft.

How Composers Use It

Lively names energy more than a fixed speed: it implies a quick tempo, crisp articulation and buoyant rhythm, and it can keep a moderate tempo from sounding heavy. Make your articulation agree with it (light accents, short notes), and add a metronome figure if speed matters as much as spirit.

Example

Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90, first movement: the edition’s English “(Lively, with feeling and expression)” translates Beethoven’s German heading, Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck.

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