Molto Vivace: Meaning, Speed and Practice Tools
Molto Vivace (Very lively, very fast) covers 133–156 BPM in the classical tempo tradition.Very lively and fast.
How fast is Molto Vivace in BPM?
Molto Vivace runs 133 to 156 BPM. "Molto" pushes the Vivace considerably further, into the range where music is genuinely exhilarating. Finishes and opera openings live here — the tempo that makes an audience sit up. Technically it is demanding, but it is also where the payoff is most satisfying.
Molto Vivace in classical music
- •Very fast, driving and hard-driving
- •Typical of symphonic finales and opera preludes
- •Requires complete technical confidence to stay together
- •Often marked to be played with brilliance and dash
- •Fast enough that evenness is the whole battle
Famous pieces in Molto Vivace
Symphony No. 9 (4th mvt. — Allegro ma non troppo)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1824)
A colossal finale that pushes the ensemble to its limit.
The Barber of Seville (Overture)
Gioachino Rossini (1816)
A racing Molto Vivace that established a whole genre.
Symphony No. 5 (4th mvt.)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1808)
The famous coda, played at a furious Molto Vivace.
Try the Molto Vivace metronome
Try Molto Vivace here — set to 144 BPM, limited to 133–156 BPM for this marking.
How to practise at Molto Vivace
Here the goal is evenness, not speed. Practise with the metronome on eighth or sixteenth notes so you can hear any unevenness immediately. Build up in steps of five or ten BPM, never more, and give yourself time at each level. If your accuracy drops going up, you went too far — come back down and repeat the step. Use the speed trainer built into the metronome for exactly this.
Related markings
Questions
How fast is Molto Vivace?
Molto Vivace runs from 133 to 156 BPM, with 144 as the midpoint.
How is Molto Vivace different from Vivace?
Molto means very, so it sits roughly 12 to 25 BPM above ordinary Vivace and demands considerably more technique.
What is the fastest way to practise Molto Vivace?
Use a metronome trainer that raises the tempo in small automatic increments. Manual jumps are where most practice sessions break down.
Should I practise Molto Vivace slowly?
Yes — much slower than feels necessary, with heavy subdivision. Speed comes after accuracy, never before.
All markings
Browse every Italian tempo marking from Larghissimo to Ultra Presto: