Allegretto: Moderately fast, slightly slower than allegro (112–120 BPM)
Allegretto means moderately fast, a tempo of roughly 112-120 BPM that is lighter and less driven than a full allegro.
Allegretto Metronome: 112 to 120 BPM
Press play to hear Allegretto at 116 BPM, or switch to the slow and fast ends of the range.
Loops until you press Stop. Beat 1 is accented so you can feel where the bar starts.
What Allegretto Means
Allegretto means 'a little lively', moderately fast but lighter and less urgent than allegro. It has a graceful, pleasant character that sits between the comfort of moderato and the energy of allegro. Beethoven's famous Allegretto from his Seventh Symphony demonstrates how this tempo can carry tremendous emotional depth.
Etymology
Italian, diminutive of 'allegro', literally 'a little lively'
BPM Range
Minimum: 112 BPM
Maximum: 120 BPM
Typical: 116 BPM
Allegretto should feel light and graceful, with forward motion but without the drive of allegro. Focus on elegance and clarity rather than speed.
Allegretto in Real Music
Allegretto is the marking composers reach for when they want motion without urgency, and it frequently lands on inner movements that replace a conventional slow movement or scherzo. Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 contains the most famous case: its second movement, marked Allegretto, was encored at the premiere and is often mistaken for a slow movement, because the relentless dactylic rhythm feels like a funeral procession even though the tempo is moderately fast. That gap between marking and effect is worth noticing, since conductors who slow it down lose the ostinato's inevitability. Beethoven marked the second movement of his Symphony No. 8 Allegretto scherzando, a witty movement whose ticking accompaniment only works if the tempo stays exact, and Brahms gave the third movement of his Symphony No. 2 the heading Allegretto grazioso, quasi andantino, a pastoral oboe melody that keeps interrupting itself with faster variants. The suffix does the explaining: allegretto is a little lively, not fully lively, and its 112-120 BPM overlaps entirely with moderato's upper range. The real instruction is about weight rather than speed. Allegretto asks for lightness, clean articulation and grace, and it usually goes wrong when players give it the driving accents that suit allegro instead.
Example Pieces
- Symphony No. 7, 2nd movement (Allegretto), Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No. 2, 3rd movement (Allegretto grazioso), Johannes Brahms
- Symphony No. 8, 2nd movement (Allegretto scherzando), Ludwig van Beethoven
Common Genres
Related Tempo Markings
Frequently Asked Questions
Is allegretto faster or slower than allegro?
Allegretto is slower than allegro. The '-etto' diminutive suffix means 'a little,' making allegretto 'a little lively', moderately fast rather than fully fast.
What BPM is allegretto?
Allegretto is typically 112-120 BPM, sitting between moderato and allegro. It has a graceful, light character.
How fast is allegretto on a metronome?
Set a metronome to 112-120 BPM for allegretto, around 116 BPM. That range sits above andante's walking pace and just below allegro, which begins at 120 BPM.
What pieces are marked allegretto?
The Allegretto second movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 is the most famous. Beethoven also wrote an Allegretto scherzando in his Symphony No. 8, and Brahms marked the third movement of his Symphony No. 2 Allegretto grazioso.
Is allegretto faster than moderato?
Only slightly. Allegretto runs 112-120 BPM while moderato spans 108-120 BPM, so the ranges largely overlap. The real difference is character: allegretto is lighter and more animated than the evenly measured moderato.
Related References
Practise Allegretto at Any Tempo
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