allegro

American  

[uh-ley-groh, uh-leg-roh, ahl-le-graw] / əˈleɪ groʊ, əˈlɛg roʊ, ɑlˈlɛ grɔ /

adjective

1. brisk or rapid in tempo.

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noun

plural

allegros

1. an allegro movement.

allegro British  

/ -ˈlɛɡ-, əˈleɪɡrəʊ /

adjective

1. (to be performed) quickly, in a brisk lively manner

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noun

1. a piece or passage to be performed in this manner

allegro Cultural  

1. A brisk, lively musical tempo. Allegro is Italian for “cheerful.”

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Etymology

Origin of allegro

1625–35; < Italian < Latin alacer brisk. Cf. alacrity

Explanation

In music, allegro distinguishes a movement that's meant to be played very quickly. Your piano teacher might instruct you to try playing a piece allegro. If you're reading sheet music and you see the word allegro, you'll know that particular section or movement should be played in a lively, spirited way. There are many Italian musical terms that describe or direct the tempo, or speed, of the music, and allegro is one of these. The word means "cheerful or gay" in Italian from the Latin root alacrem, "lively, cheerful, or brisk."

Example Sentences

“I have long been thinking of abandoning these nonsensical terms allegro, andante, adagio, presto,” Beethoven wrote in an 1817 letter to Hofrat von Mosel, “and Mälzel’s metronome gives us the best opportunity to do so.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2023

The opening allegro found him moving the orchestra from state to state: here liquid, there solid as stone.

From Washington Post • May 13, 2022

You see it in Ailey’s dances, particularly in his joyful petit allegro, the small steps that make it seem that the feet, all on their own, are knitting an invisible sweater.

From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2022

Where golf architects hear an allegro and an adagio, championship officials hear cash registers.

From Golf Digest • Aug. 29, 2016

Gasping for air like I just completed a grand allegro combination.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day