{{Short description|Musical term of Italian origin}} '''Andamento''' is an Italian musical term used to refer to a fugue subject of above-average length.<ref name=Grove>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Walker|first=Paul M.|title=Andamento|encyclopedia=Grove Music Online|publisher=Oxford University Press|accessdate=}}</ref>
==Definition== The term was coined by G.B. Martini in the second volume of his work ''Esemplare, ossia Saggio fondamentale pratico di contrappunto'' (1775), which also featured the terms ''attacco'' and ''soggetto'' to refer to short and average-length fugue themes, respectively.<ref name=Grove/> In Martini's definition, a fugue theme of six 4/4 bars could be described as an andamento.<ref name=Grove/> The term found limited use outside of Italy, but has been discussed by scholars.<ref name=Grove/>
==Examples== * The 'Amen' fugue in Handel's ''Messiah''.<ref name=Grove/> * The first fugue subject of Ronald Stevenson's Passacaglia on DSCH.
==References== {{reflist}}
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Category:Musical terminology