Poco allegretto

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the first system as a heading, with the capital on either word (Poco Allegretto, Poco allegretto), and in force until the next tempo word. Character directions such as mezza voce, espressivo or lusingando often follow in the opening bars and set the tone the tempo word leaves open.

How Composers Use It

Poco softens Allegretto further: a gentle, easy motion, usually taken a little slower than a plain Allegretto. The marking suits music in the space between a dance and a song, where the player should feel movement without any urgency — Brahms’s wistful C-minor third movement in his Third Symphony is the classic case. Because the speed is only implied, a metronome mark helps if the difference from Andante matters to you.

Example

Brahms, Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90, third movement, m. 1: “Poco Allegretto”, with “mezza voce” and “espressivo” among the opening directions and p in the second bar.

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