Molto
“Very”, intensifies the tempo or performance word.
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. Abbreviated it occasionally appears as mto. 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.
Molto intensifies the following word, for instance molto allegro or molto espressivo. In the tempo marking the effect is clear; with expression markings, molto calls for a distinct intensification of the character concerned. Its counterparts are poco and meno. The combination molto più means “much more,” for instance molto più mosso for much more animated. Bear in mind that molto is no licence for exaggeration: it intensifies within...
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.