Scorrevole

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff or vocal line, alone or with più (“più scorrevole”), at a point where the music should move on; bilingual editions pair it with German “fliessend” or “fliessender”. It lasts until the next tempo or character word, and a rit. or a new tempo heading ends it.

How Composers Use It

Scorrevole asks for flow: an easy, gliding forward motion that keeps phrases moving without sounding hurried. It sits between a tempo word and a character word; it rarely names a speed, but players will move slightly ahead under it. Use it to stop a lyrical passage from sagging, or as più scorrevole to ease the tempo forward. Strascinando is its opposite, and Mahler’s songs use both.

Example

Mahler, Kindertotenlieder, “Nun seh’ ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen”, voice, m. 26: “scorrevole”, printed with the German “fliessend”, two bars before a “rit.”

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