Non troppo

As Printed on a Score

Follows the word it limits, inside a tempo heading or a running direction (Allegro non troppo, Adagio non troppo), with or without a preceding ma. It lasts as long as the word it modifies; the next tempo heading clears it.

How Composers Use It

Non troppo caps the degree of the word before it: Allegro non troppo is a bright but moderate Allegro, Adagio non troppo a slow tempo that must not stall. Without ma it reads as a single compound heading; with ma the limit sounds more like an afterthought. Brahms used it often, and two of his four symphonies open Allegro non troppo, which shows how precisely it can define a tempo.

Example

Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73, first movement, flute, m. 1: “Allegro non troppo”; the slow movement that follows is headed “Adagio non troppo”.

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