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Lively, quick. The French equivalent of Vivace.
Vif implies brilliance and sparkle — specifically French vivacity. Use it for scherzo-like passages in French-influenced music. Can be modified: Très vif (very lively), Assez vif (rather lively).
Debussy's String Quartet, second movement (Assez vif et bien rythmé) — the scherzo, with its pizzicato energy and shifting meters.
Vif is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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