non troppo

American  

[non trop-oh, troh-poh, nohn troh-poh, nawn trawp-paw] / nɒn ˈtrɒp oʊ, ˈtroʊ poʊ, noʊn ˈtroʊ poʊ, nɔn ˈtrɔp pɔ /

adverb

Music.

1. not too much.

   allegro non troppo.

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non troppo British  

/ ˈnɒn ˈtrɒpəʊ /

adverb

1. music (preceded by a musical direction, esp a tempo marking) not to be observed too strictly (esp in the phrases allegro ma non troppo, adagio ma non troppo )

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Etymology

Origin of non troppo

Borrowed into English from Italian around 1850–55

Example Sentences

Second phase, well, you might call it al legro ma non troppo and pretty nervy .

From Time Magazine Archive

The second movement, scherzo, allegro non troppo, is in the key of D minor and in the style of a Beethoven scherzo, which, again, is a legitimate outgrowth of certain movements of Bach.

From The Masters and their Music A series of illustrative programs with biographical, esthetical, and critical annotations by Mathews, W. S. B. (William Smythe Babcock)

No. 1 opens with a non troppo Allegro, a smooth movement of somewhat pastoral character; the music, also the writing for the instrument, remind one occasionally of Stephen Heller.

From The Pianoforte Sonata Its Origin and Development by Shedlock, J. S. (John South)

This introductory passage is marked, "Sostenuto assai," followed by the main movement marked, "Allegro ma non troppo."

From Memories of a Musical Life by Mason, William

At the Allegro non troppo after the trill, we find a variant of the first theme for the 'cellos and basses in F-sharp major, e.g.,

From Music: An Art and a Language by Spalding, Walter Raymond