Animato
Animato (Italian “animated”) asks for a lively, spirited performance. The word appears at the start of a piece or in the middle, where the music is to get moving again. With “poco” in front of it, it is softened.
- Meaning
- animated, lively, spirited
- Language
- Italian, from Latin “animatus”
- Softened
- poco animato, a little animated
- Related
- Poco a poco
- Related
- Lively
Playing animated
“Animato” is the past participle of “animare” (“to animate”) and goes back to the Latin “animatus” (“endowed with spirit”). As a performance direction it means “lively, animated, spirited”; it is usually translated as “animated, lively”. What is meant is a lively performance, usually at a fast tempo. The word therefore colours the character and at the same time points to more movement, without naming a speed in beats per minute.
Poco rit., then animato
One possible reading: in the second bar the tempo is held back (from 90 to 72); from the third bar on, animato is written and the tempo picks up (to 104). The word itself gives no number; the values are chosen for this example.
Poco animato with crescendo
Four bars in 6/8 time. “poco animato” and p are written at the first note; from the seventh note a hairpin grows to the mf at the final note.
At the start or in the middle
In Schumann, “Animato” opens the song. In Burgmüller it comes in the middle of the piece, a few bars after a “poco rit.”: first the music is held back, then it is to get moving again. In “Sing Ivy” it is softened with “poco”.
Voice and piano
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Widmung Robert Schumann, op. 25 No. 1 · voice and piano, with chords for guitar · 4 pages
Above bar 1, in bold, is “Animato.”, in 3/2 time with four flats. The piano begins with mf. The word serves as a heading over the song.
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Sing Ivy traditional (collected by G. B. Gardiner), arranged by Gustav von Holst · voice and piano, with chords for guitar · 3 pages
On page 2, above bar 23, is “Poco animato.”, and below it “cresc.”, 6/8 time, one sharp. Here animato is softened with “poco”.
Piano
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Ballade Friedrich Burgmüller, op. 100 No. 15 · piano · 1 page
The piece is headed “Allegro con brio”, in 3/8 time. In bars 41–42 is “poco rit.” with a decrescendo hairpin. In bar 45 “animato” (in italics) is written over three staccato eighth notes, again with a decrescendo hairpin below. The sheet does not say where the direction ends.
Animato and vivace
A tempo word such as “vivace” names the tempo itself; animato describes the character in which a passage is played. Burgmüller's “Allegro con brio” shows this: the piece has a tempo word, and in the middle of it “animato” asks for renewed liveliness.
Common mistakes
- Reading animato as a metronome marking: The word names character and direction, not a speed.
- Playing poco animato like animato: “Poco” softens it; it is a little more animated.
- Getting too fast: The music should seem alive, not rushed.
Continue on Maikstrings
Related terms
LivelyVivaceAllegroCon brioRitardandoA tempoAccelerandoTempo
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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