Assai
An intensifier meaning very or much before a tempo or expression mark
Related
Assai is an intensifier placed after a mark, pushing its meaning further: allegro assai is a very fast allegro, adagio assai a very slow adagio. It sets no speed of its own; it only adds weight.
Assai and molto are often interchangeable, but the tone differs: molto is blunter and more conversational, while assai is commoner in older prints and Italian vocal music, where it can carry a shade of "quite" or "enough". Do not treat assai as mere addition — it intensifies the character of the term, and an allegro assai driven at breakneck speed is speed without allegro.
Sources
- 术语的释义与用法，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians（Oxford Music Online）相关条目；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.