vivace

[vi-vah-chey; Italian vee-vah-che]

adverb, adjective

(a musical direction) vivacious; lively.

Nearby words

Origin of vivace

1675–85; < Italian < Latin vīvāc-, stem of vīvāx, long-lived, lively; see vivacity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vivace

He saved three minutes of the composer's own time by taking the vivace sections at a somewhat quicker tempo.
Musical Criticisms|Arthur Johnstone
The third waltz (in F major; Vivace) shows a character very different from the preceding one.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
The vivace of the A major symphony strikes, no less, as objective.
Beethoven's Symphonies Critically Discussed|Alexander Teetgen
The short, dashing Coda is based on the vivace theme, with sonorous chords on the violin, both pizzicato and arco.
Music: An Art and a Language|Walter Raymond Spalding

Le souvenir de la Stilla, vivace comme au premier jour, tait identifi son existence.
Le chteau des Carpathes|Jules Verne

British Dictionary definitions for vivace

vivace

adjective, adverb

music to be performed in a brisk lively manner

Word Origin for vivace

C17: from Italian, from Latin vīvax long-lived, vigorous, from vīvere to live

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for vivace

vivace

1680s, from Italian vivace "brisk, lively," from Latin vivac-, stem of vivax "lively vigorous" (see vivacity).