Molto

What it means

Molto means “very, much” and intensifies the word it is joined to. Allegro molto thus calls for a distinctly faster tempo than an ordinary allegro, molto espressivo for a particularly expressive performance, molto ritardando for a strong slowing. The word never stands alone but always as an addition — before or after the base word.

In relation to assai, which likewise means “very,” molto counts as the somewhat more emphatic word; the gradation, however, is not handled uniformly. Its counterpart is poco, “a little,” which weakens. The superlative form moltissimo occurs but is rare.

The German equivalent is sehr.

In the notation

The word stands in italics together with the base word, above the staff for tempo and performance markings, below the staff for dynamic markings. In connection with crescendo or diminuendo it calls for a stronger change than without the addition.

Musical use

Intensifying additions have belonged to the stock of tempo and performance markings since the Baroque. They allow fine gradations without having to introduce new terms. In the music of the nineteenth century, molto is extraordinarily frequent, because composers increasingly refined their markings.

Combined with più or meno, molto denotes a large difference from the previous state: molto più mosso means “much more animated,” molto meno mosso “much less animated.” With expression markings, molto calls for a distinct intensification of the character concerned. It is no licence for exaggeration: it intensifies within the style that the piece sets.

Performance practice

Read the marking fully and relate the addition to its base word: molto changes the degree, not the kind. With tempo markings, check whether the intensified tempo still holds at the densest passage. With dynamics and tempo changes, realize the addition distinctly — a molto ritardando should sound different from a simple one. And keep the chosen degree consistent throughout the whole stretch.