Meaning & use
allegro giocoso
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Meanings
adverbmusictechnical
Played at a brisk, cheerful speed, as a direction printed on a piece of music.
Grammar: Used as a performance direction; it stands alone or after the notes, with no object.
Patterns
- marked allegro giocoso
- play something allegro giocoso
The last movement is marked allegro giocoso, so the players keep the tempo light and quick.
She asked the orchestra to take the finale allegro giocoso rather than heavily.
nouncountablemusictechnical
A piece or movement of music played in a fast, joyful style.
Grammar: Countable: you can say an allegro giocoso or several allegro giocosos.
Patterns
- an allegro giocoso
- write an allegro giocoso
The symphony ends with an allegro giocoso full of dancing rhythms.
His new allegro giocoso lasts only four minutes but feels full of energy.
Word forms
| plural | allegro giocosos |
|---|
Common combinations
- marked allegro giocoso
- The score is marked allegro giocoso at the top of the page.
- play something allegro giocoso
- The conductor told them to play the passage allegro giocoso.
- a lively allegro giocoso
- The composer wrote a lively allegro giocoso for the closing movement.
- take something allegro giocoso
- They took the finale allegro giocoso, which surprised the audience.
Synonyms and how they differ
- allegro
- This only says the music is fast; allegro giocoso adds that the mood should be playful and happy.
- giocoso
- This describes a joking, merry character on its own, without saying anything about speed.
- vivace
- Vivace means fast and full of life, but it stresses energy more than cheerfulness.
Opposites
Word family
- allegretto adverb
- A little slower than allegro, but still fairly quick.
- giocosamente adverb
- A rarer direction meaning in a playful, joking manner.
Commonly confused: allegro giocoso or allegro?
allegro giocoso vs allegro
Allegro just means fast; allegro giocoso means fast and cheerful, so the two directions are not interchangeable.
Practice
The conductor told the strings to play the closing theme allegro giocoso. What should they do?
Choose one answer.
Allegro giocoso combines a quick tempo with a joyful, playful character, so option 1 fits. 'Slowly and sadly' describes the opposite kind of direction, such as adagio mesto.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “allegro giocoso”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.