adverb
- Very; quite. Used in music to indicate that a tempo or dynamic marking should be performed with considerable intensity or speed.
Usage: musical term; Italian origin; commonly used in classical and contemporary music notation
Examples
- The conductor instructed the orchestra to play the passage allegro assai, meaning very fast.
- The composer marked the section forte assai to indicate it should be played very loudly.
- In the score, assai appears frequently to modify tempo and dynamic instructions.
- Musicians interpret assai assai as extremely fast when it modifies allegro.
- The violinist performed the cadenza with assai passion and energy.