vivace
Americanadverb
adjective
Etymology
Origin of vivace
1675–85; < Italian < Latin vīvāc-, stem of vīvāx, long-lived, lively; see vivacity
Explanation
A piece of music with the instruction vivace should be played at a very fast tempo and in a very lively way. It's a pace and style that should get you moving if you're feeling sluggish! Vivace is Italian; it comes from the Latin word vivax, meaning "lively." You may know the English word vivacious, which comes from the same root. A vivacious person is the life of the party, so a vivace piece of music should remind you of someone really energetic, active, and upbeat! The metronome speed for vivace is at least 130 beats per minute, which means more than two beats per second — that's fast! — but not quite as fast as presto in musical terms.
Vocabulary lists containing vivace
National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 2
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Music - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pair that with a vivace salad, with sliced strawberries, Bulgarian feta and a sprinkling of paprika, and you have my kind of balanced meal: something light and refreshing, something rich and rewarding, everything delicious.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 12, 2021
Consider the sonnet “Le vierge, le vivace et le bel aujourd’hui,” whose first version probably dates from the late eighteen-sixties, when Mallarmé was in his mid-twenties.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 11, 2016
The first conjures a proud princess in icy isolation, not unlike the swan in “Le vierge, le vivace et le bel aujourd’hui.”
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 11, 2016
A delicate Pastorale precedes the gracefully balletic Allegro vivace, which features a canon for solo trumpet.
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2010
The feeling of shame lingered as the younger sister followed with a spirited vivace.
From Pointed Roofs Pilgrimage, Volume 1 by Richardson, Dorothy Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
