Tempo markings tell the performer how fast the music should go, and how that speed should change. Most are Italian, and they describe not only a pace but a character: largo is broad and weighty, allegro is lively rather than merely quick. They are relative to the music, the instrument and the period — a Baroque adagio is not a Romantic one.
Tempo — slow to fast
Markings with a metronome button have a BPM range on record — press it to hear a representative pace, or open the term to hear both ends of the range.
- adagissimo Adagissimo is the superlative of Adagio: extremely or “very, very” slow, more intensified than ordinary Adagio without supplying a universal BPM.
- largo Largo asks for a very slow, broad and spacious manner—among the weightiest standard slow indications, but not one fixed BPM. 40–60 BPM
- larghetto Larghetto is the diminutive of Largo: broad and slow, but normally a little lighter and more flowing than its parent term. 60–66 BPM
- lento Lento means “slow”: a broad tempo instruction with less built-in imagery than Largo or Adagio and no universal place on a numerical ladder. 40–60 BPM
- adagio Adagio is a slow, very calm and unhurried tempo whose literal “at ease” origin also carries expressive character; it is relative to metre, period and context, not one universal BPM. 58–97 BPM
- andante Andante means “going” or “walking”: a moderate, flowing and unhurried tempo with steady forward motion rather than a fixed walking-speed BPM. 56–88 BPM
- andantino Andantino is a diminutive of Andante whose direction is historically ambiguous: depending on source, composer and period it can mean slightly slower or slightly faster than Andante. 80–108 BPM
- moderato Moderato means moderate or restrained and can stand alone or qualify another tempo word. 66–126 BPM
- allegretto Allegretto is the diminutive of Allegro: lively and moderately quick, normally lighter, gentler and less driven than full Allegro. 112–120 BPM
- allegro Allegro is a fast, lively tempo whose older Italian sense of cheerfulness and animation still shapes the character; it is not merely a BPM label. 84–144 BPM
- vivace Vivace asks for brisk, lively and animated motion—often faster than Allegro, but defined by vitality as much as velocity. 168–176 BPM
- presto Presto is a very fast tempo indication—among the quickest standard markings and more directly about speed than a fixed mood. 100–152 BPM
- prestissimo Prestissimo is the Italian superlative of Presto: faster than Presto and at the extreme fast end of the conventional tempo vocabulary. 200–208 BPM
Changing the tempo
- accelerando Accelerando means gradually getting faster; accel. is its standard abbreviation.
- stringendo Stringendo means pressing or tightening forward: become gradually faster with increasing urgency; string. is its standard abbreviation.
- più mosso Più mosso means “more motion”: establish a faster, more animated local tempo relative to what immediately precedes.
- ritardando Ritardando (rit.; also ritard.) directs a gradual slowing of the tempo. The longer abbreviation avoids the ambiguity of rit., which can also stand for ritenuto.
- rallentando Rallentando (rall.) directs a gradual slowing of the tempo and is commonly treated as a synonym of ritardando.
- ritenuto Ritenuto (most clearly riten.; also the ambiguous rit.) means 'held back': a slower tempo taken more immediately or held more uniformly than a gradual deceleration.
- meno mosso Meno mosso means “less motion”: establish a slower, broader local tempo relative to what immediately precedes.
- a tempo A tempo returns to the pulse in force before the most recent local deviation; a t. is an attested short form.
- tempo primo Tempo primo means return immediately to the movement’s first, original tempo; Tempo I is its conventional Roman-numeral score form.
- allargando Allargando means gradually broadening and slowing, often toward a weightier or more stately arrival; allarg. is its standard abbreviation.
- calando Calando means “falling away”: diminish the sound and, in many traditions, let the tempo subside as well; the score decides whether both parameters are intended.
- rubato Rubato, or “stolen time,” is expressive flexibility of rhythm and tempo: a melody may move freely against a steadier accompaniment, or the whole texture may flex together.
- subito Subito means “suddenly”: it makes the attached dynamic, tempo or character change immediate rather than gradual; sub. is the standard abbreviation.