vivace

American  

[vi-vah-chey, vee-vah-che] / vɪˈvɑ tʃeɪ, viˈvɑ tʃɛ /

adverb

1. (a musical direction) vivacious; lively.

---

vivace British  

/ vɪˈvɑːtʃɪ /

adjective

1. music to be performed in a brisk lively manner

---

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.

Example Sentences

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

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

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 “Molto Vivace” pas de deux, choreographed by Stephen Baynes, was far from molto vivace.

From New York Times • Jun. 13, 2012

She came to the end of the vivace movement, and abandoned her piece.

From Aaron's Rod by Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)