What does allegro mean?
Allegro is a musical term borrowed from Italian meaning a fast, lively tempo — quick and bright, though not as rapid as presto or as moderate as allegretto. It appears most often as a tempo marking at the head of a movement or section of a score, telling performers to play briskly and with spirit, but it is also used as a noun for the movement itself, as when listeners refer to a symphony's 'final allegro.' Because the underlying Italian word means 'cheerful' or 'merry,' allegro carries connotations of joy and energy, which composers have long exploited for exuberant closing movements and spirited dance-like passages. The marking can be modified by qualifiers such as 'ma non troppo' ('but not too much') to temper its speed. Outside of music discussion, concert programmes, and criticism, the word is rarely encountered, making it a distinctly specialized term whose cheerful etymology nonetheless makes it easy to remember.
A fast, lively musical tempo; also a movement or passage written to be performed at that speed.
"The quartet's opening allegro sets a buoyant tone for the whole work."
Pluralized in English as 'allegros'; the Italian plural 'allegri' appears occasionally.
(Of music) to be performed quickly and cheerfully.
"The third movement is marked allegro throughout."
Used chiefly in scores and programme notes rather than ordinary prose.
(As a musical direction) in a quick, lively manner.
"This section should be played allegro, with light articulation."
Appears almost exclusively in performance directions.
Standard English pluralization; the Italian form 'allegri' is rare and mostly found in specialist writing.
"Both of Haydn's allegros were taken at a daring pace."
The word for music's fastest cheer is the same Italian word for 'cheerful' — every allegro you've ever heard is literally labelled 'happy.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of allegro
Allegro comes from Italian, where the adjective means 'cheerful, merry, lively.' Italian adopted it from Latin 'alacer' (stem 'alacri-'), meaning 'lively, brisk, eager.' The same Latin root gave English the noun 'alacrity' via a different route. Allegro entered English as a musical term during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when Italian became the standard language of musical instruction across Europe, and it remains one of the most familiar of all Italian tempo markings.
Related word forms
How allegro is actually used
Almost entirely confined to musical contexts. In printed scores, 'allegro' frequently carries qualifying modifiers such as 'ma non troppo' (but not too much) or 'moderato' to fine-tune the intended speed. The plural of the noun is usually anglicized as 'allegros,' though Italian-style 'allegri' occasionally appears.
Easily confused with allegro
Allegretto denotes a moderately fast tempo that is slower than allegro.