This is my new definition of Allegro moderato. I learned it from Schubert's E-flat Sonata, Op. 122, last movement. The 6/8 meter already makes it a puzzle, as allegro is most often associated with quarter-note meters.
One can sustain a fairly even pace except for special circumstances in which the beat seems to require more deliberation. Once I caught on to the possibility that this permission might be implied in the tempo indication it was much easier to let the music flow rather than feel obliged to maintain a steady pulse.
