What does agitato mean?
"Agitato" is an Italian musical term meaning "agitated," used as a direction to performers to play a passage in a restless, excited, and emotionally turbulent manner. It appears in written scores either on its own or combined with a tempo marking, as in "allegro agitato," instructing musicians to convey urgency through faster motion, heightened dynamics, and unsettled rhythms. The word derives from the Latin verb agitare, meaning to drive or set in motion, the same root that gives English "agitate" and "agitation." While it has little life outside music criticism, rehearsal rooms, and program notes, it is indispensable for describing one of music's most recognizable expressive moods — the sense of nervous energy that composers from Beethoven to film scorers have used to evoke anxiety, pursuit, and mounting drama.
adjective & adverbA musical direction indicating that a passage is to be played in an agitated, restless, and excited manner.
- As a musical direction: performed in an agitated, restless, excited manner.
"The pianist launched into the coda agitato, her hands blurring across the keys."
"The movement's central section is marked agitato, its syncopated rhythms growing increasingly frantic."
"She instructed the string section to take the passage agitato, driving the tempo forward with nervous energy."
When composers want music to sound anxious, they don't write an explanation — they just write one Italian word: agitato.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of agitato
"Agitato" comes directly from Italian, where it is the past participle of agitare, itself borrowed from the Latin verb agitare, meaning "to drive, set in motion, or shake up." English adopted it as a musical direction during the period when Italian became the standard language of Western classical music notation, alongside terms like allegro and andante. It shares its Latin root with the English words "agitate," "agitation," and "agitator."
How agitato is actually used
"Agitato" belongs almost exclusively to the vocabulary of classical music, appearing in printed scores and in performers' and critics' discussions of them. It is typically used attributively after a tempo marking (as in "allegro agitato") or as a standalone performance instruction. Outside musical contexts it would sound affected or pedantic.
Easily confused with agitato
"Agitato" is a musical direction telling performers to play in an agitated style, while "agitated" describes a person's emotional state of anxiety or excitement.