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Spirited.
Printed above the staff as a character word, most often after a tempo word (Allegro spiritoso) at the head of a movement, and holding until the next heading. It is frequent in 18th-century headings, where it reads almost as part of the tempo designation.
Spiritoso asks for spirit and wit: lively articulation, buoyant rhythm, energy that is bright rather than heavy. It is the adjectival form of con spirito and close to brioso. It suits quick movements built on crisp, characterful figures; pair it with a tempo word, since spirit is not speed, and let the articulation markings carry the detail.
Spiritoso is one of 1755 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary: the words, abbreviations and instrument names that appear in printed scores, plus the vocabulary composers use to talk about them.
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