più
An Italian musical direction meaning "more," used to intensify other tempo or dynamic markings.
In Depth
Più (pronounced "pyoo") modifies other musical terms to indicate an increase. "Più mosso" means "more motion" (faster), "più forte" means "more loud" (louder), and "più piano" means "more soft" (softer). Like its counterpart meno, più provides a relative adjustment rather than an absolute instruction, allowing performers to interpret the degree of change based on musical context. The term is particularly common in passages where the music needs to gradually intensify or where a composer wants a noticeable but not dramatic shift in character. Più mosso is one of the most frequently encountered uses, providing an alternative to a full tempo change marking. In many Romantic-era scores, alternating più mosso and meno mosso markings create the flexible, breathing tempo that characterizes the style, replacing the stricter tempo discipline of Classical-era performance.
In everyday Italian, più is one of the most common words in the language — the equivalent of "more" in English — appearing in phrases like "più o meno" (more or less).
Related Terms
More in Tempo
Browse alla tempo
Return to the original tempo after a deviation.
accelerando
A gradual increase in tempo.
adagio
A slow, leisurely tempo, typically 66-76 BPM.
agitato
Agitated; restless and hurried in character.
alla breve
Cut time; two half-note beats per measure, giving a faster feel.
allegretto
A moderately fast tempo, slightly slower than allegro.
allegro
A fast, lively tempo, typically 120-156 BPM.
andante
A walking pace tempo, typically 76-108 BPM.