Vivacissimo

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a tempo word, alone or after Allegro (“Allegro vivacissimo”), at the start of a movement or of a final burst within one; it remains in force until the next tempo word.

How Composers Use It

Vivacissimo is the superlative of vivace, very fast and very lively, which places it near presto; it stresses liveliness where presto and prestissimo stress speed. Mark it where the brilliance matters as much as the pace, and expect players to take it at the edge of what the figuration allows; a metronome mark helps if the passage must stay clean.

Example

Liszt, Gnomenreigen, the second of the 2 Konzertetüden, S. 145, piano, m. 121: “vivacissimo” at ff, two bars after “ad libitum” and “string.”

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