Affrettando

Affrettando, abbreviated affrett., is Italian for ‘hurrying’. As a tempo marking it instructs the performer to speed up — but with a particular character of nervous urgency, almost anxiety, distinguishing it from the more controlled accelerando or the dramatic stringendo.

The marking is found in Italian operatic and 19th-century symphonic music. Composers reach for it when they want the music to sound rushed — propelled by tension, not by joy or virtuoso brilliance. The effect is slightly out of breath, slightly out of control, conveying psychological pressure.

In ensemble work, affrettando requires careful coordination. Each player should feel the same nervous push forward; otherwise the section sounds merely uncoordinated rather than expressively urgent.

Italian, gerund of affrettare (‘to hurry’), from a- + fretta (‘haste’).

Push slightly off-balance. Affrettando is not just faster; it is fretful. Articulation may become slightly clipped; phrasing may shorten. The music should feel as though it is running ahead of itself.