Più agitato

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff at the start of a more restless section, like a tempo-and-character word, or inside running directions (più agitato e cresc.; sempre più agitato; poco a poco più agitato). It holds until a calming word or a return such as Tempo I.

Also spelled: piu agitato

How Composers Use It

Più agitato increases restlessness relative to what precedes it, and performers usually let it press the tempo forward as well as heighten the tone. It works best where the music already carries agitation: Brahms uses it in a song headed Moderato, ma agitato to intensify, not introduce, the unrest. Combine it with cresc. or stringendo if you want both explicitly; to unwind, use calmato or Tempo I.

Example

Brahms, “Der Strom, der neben mir verrauschte” (9 Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 32), voice, m. 19: “Più agitato”, intensifying a song headed “Moderato, ma agitato”.

Related Terms