A musical direction meaning to gradually speed up or hurry the tempo slightly.
From Italian 'affrettando,' derived from 'affrettare' (to hurry), with roots in 'a-' + 'fretta' (haste or hurry). It entered English music terminology in the 1800s.
Musicians use this Italian word hundreds of times daily without thinking about it—it's one of dozens of musical terms that make orchestras feel international, even when everyone's from the same country.
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