Vivace alla marcia

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a movement or section heading, sometimes beside a German equivalent (Lebhaft. Marschmäßig.); it lasts until a new tempo word.

How Composers Use It

Vivace qualifies the march: brisker and lighter than a ceremonial Tempo di marcia, with the dotted rhythms and square phrases of the march kept crisp. Use it when you want march character without solemnity. Beethoven’s choice in his A major Sonata, Op. 101, shows the march topic carrying a weighty movement of a sonata rather than a parade.

Example

Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101, second movement, opening: “Lebhaft. Marschmäßig.” printed together with “Vivace alla Marcia”.

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