Tempo markings

Also called Tempo terms

Tempo markings say how fast a piece goes. A word at the top of the score, such as Adagio, Andante, or Allegro, gives the speed and the character, and a metronome mark such as ♩ = 120 gives the exact beats per minute.

What do the tempo words mean?

The words are Italian, from the centuries when Italian was the language of printed music, and every country still uses them. Each names a mood as much as a speed: andante is "walking", allegro "cheerful". The numbers beside them are the ranges metronome tables usually give, a convention that varies from one edition to the next rather than a definition.

TermMeaningAbout (BPM)
GraveVery slow and solemn30–39
LargoBroad, very slow40–59
LarghettoA little less slow than largo60–65
AdagioSlow, at ease66–75
AndanteAt a walking pace76–107
ModeratoModerate108–119
AllegroFast and bright120–155
VivaceLively and quick156–175
PrestoVery fast176–199
PrestissimoExtremely fast200–250

How do you read ♩ = 120?

A metronome mark gives the speed exactly: the note shown, so many to the minute. ♩ = 120 means 120 quarter notes a minute, two every second. In 6/8 the mark is usually written with a dotted quarter, such as ♩. = 60, because that is the beat the music is felt in.

A tempo marking where the score begins: the word and the metronome mark.

Slowing down and speeding up

Inside a piece the tempo can bend. rit. (ritardando) and rall. (rallentando) both mean gradually slower, accel. (accelerando) gradually faster, and a tempo returns to the speed before the change. A fermata (𝄐) over a note holds it longer than written, for as long as the moment needs.

An ending: rit. slows the notes leading to the last one, and the fermata holds it.

Common questions

What BPM is allegro?

Roughly 120 to 155 beats per minute in most metronome tables, with allegro moderato toward the lower end and allegro vivace toward the top. A metronome mark from the composer, where there is one, overrides any table.

What does "a tempo" mean in music?

Return to the original speed. It cancels a rit., an accel. or a passage marked slower, and the music picks up the tempo it had before the change.

What is the difference between ritardando and rallentando?

In practice, almost none: both slow down gradually, and scores use them interchangeably. The one that differs is ritenuto (riten.), which means held back at once rather than little by little.