IT moderato tempo core term Support my free tools
- Abbreviation
- mod.
- Tempo
- 66–126 BPM Click to play the tempo The widest disagreement of any tempo word: other sources reach 120–168 BPM, and the convention has drifted between roughly 80 and 96 BPM over the last century. Moderato worked historically more as a modifier of another tempo word than as a fixed speed of its own.
What the sources say
| Source | BPM |
|---|---|
| Dolmetsch Online (reconciled modern range) | 66–126 |
| Dolmetsch Online, citing other sources | 120–168 |
| Wikipedia, 'Tempo' article | 108–120 |
| Wikipedia (Italian), 'Moderato' -- 1950s-era metronome convention | 80 |
| Wikipedia (Italian), 'Moderato' -- later/electronic metronome convention | 84–108 |
| Wikipedia (Italian), 'Moderato' -- current common usage per that article | 80 |
| Frans Absil tempo-indications table | 60–120 |
How is moderato played?
Aim for governed, non-extreme motion rather than treating Moderato as one universal middle number. Modern charts assign widely different bands, so the often quoted 108–120 BPM is only one convention. As a qualifier it draws the host marking toward moderation: Allegro moderato is normally slower and more restrained than Allegro, while Andante moderato can be a little more moving than Andante. The Italian word and its Latin ancestry carry the idea of measure and control, which is why moderato can adjust both pace and bearing.
How does moderato sound?
An even, governed motion — neither hurried nor dragging, with a sense of controlled restraint.
In context
Historical and current dictionaries document Moderato both as an independent direction and as connective vocabulary in compounds such as Allegro moderato, Andante moderato and Moderato cantabile. Grove explicitly shows that its effect is relational rather than always slower: it tempers Allegro but can enliven Andante. That qualitative use predates attempts to assign fixed BPM bands. The compact form mod. is independently attested by Duden, the Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations and Baker’s professional music dictionary; the older modto. is retained only as a rejected historical variant.