Un peu plus vite

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff at the bar where a slightly faster tempo begins, often right after an a tempo or a short ritard. It lasts until the next tempo word (Tempo I, au Mouvt).

How Composers Use It

The French poco più mosso: a small, immediate step up in tempo, not an accelerando. Chausson and Bizet use it to lift a later phrase of a song without changing its character. Because the change is slight, put it where the music itself suggests forward motion — a new phrase, a rising line — or it will sound like a performer rushing.

Example

Chausson, Sept Mélodies, Op. 2, “Hébé”, voice, m. 11: “un peu plus vite”, a bar after “a tempo”, in a song headed “Pas vite” — French and Italian directions mixed freely.

Related Terms