Tempo markings: Italian terms and BPM

A tempo marking is a word or number at the start of a piece that tells the performer how fast the music should go. Tempo means time in Italian. Most tempo words are also Italian, a habit from the Baroque era, when Italian composers led European music. The words describe a mood as well as a speed, so allegro means lively as well as fast.

What are the main Italian tempo terms?

Tempo words are listed below, from slowest to fastest, with approximate speeds in beats per minute (BPM). A beat per minute counts quarter-note beats unless the piece says otherwise. Sources and teachers disagree on the exact numbers, so treat every range as a rough guide, not a rule. A piece marked allegro can be played at several speeds depending on the composer, the period and the style.

Notice that ranges overlap. Moderato and allegretto sit close together, and different publishers give different numbers. The word is a clue to the character of the music, and the number is only a guide. If a composer wants an exact speed, they give a metronome mark, such as a quarter note equals 96.

What does BPM mean?

BPM stands for beats per minute. It counts how many beats pass in one minute. A tempo of 60 BPM is one beat per second, like a slow, steady clock. A tempo of 120 BPM is two beats per second, about the speed of a brisk march. Many pieces show a metronome mark at the top: a note symbol, an equals sign and a number. For example, a quarter note equals 120 means 120 quarter-note beats every minute. This site does not include a metronome tool, but you can tap your foot, or use a clock with a second hand, to feel 60 and 120.

What do the other tempo words mean?

• Accelerando (accel.): Gradually faster. See accelerando.
• Ritardando (rit.): Gradually slower. See ritardando.
• Rallentando (rall.): Gradually slower, usually the same as ritardando.
• A tempo: Return to the original speed after a change.
• Rubato: Literally stolen time. The performer bends the tempo freely, speeding up and slowing down for expression.
• Più mosso: More motion, faster.
• Meno mosso: Less motion, slower.
• Allargando: Broadening, slowing and growing more spacious.
• Stringendo: Pressing forward, getting faster.

How are changes of tempo shown?

A change of tempo can be sudden, with a new word such as allegro, or gradual, with words such as rit. and accel. A gradual change often has a dotted line after the word to show how far it goes. When the music returns to its original speed, the composer writes a tempo. In long works, a movement is often named after its tempo. For example, a symphony may have a second movement called Adagio. Words like con moto (with motion) or ma non troppo (but not too much) soften the main term.

How do you choose the right speed?

Start with the word and the style. Then listen to good recordings and think about the character of the music. Most important, choose a speed at which you can play every note cleanly. A tempo that is too fast causes mistakes, and a tempo that is too slow can lose the shape of the phrases. Play the passage slowly at first and gradually speed it up. Many students do better with a steady speed than with a fast one that falls apart.

How do tempo and time signature work together?

A time signature tells you how many beats are in each measure and which note gets one beat. The tempo marking tells you how fast those beats go. So 3/4 time at andante is a calm waltz, while 3/4 at presto races along. In compound meters such as 6/8, the metronome mark may count dotted quarter notes, since two big beats feel more natural than six small ones. See 6/8 time for details.

Why are tempo words so often Italian?

In the 1600s, Italian composers were the leading figures in European music and their words became the standard. Later composers, such as Beethoven, sometimes added German words, and Debussy and Ravel used French. Even so, the Italian terms are still the common vocabulary today. Learning them is a bit like learning the signs on a road map.

How do tempo and dynamics fit together?

They are the two main tools for expression. Tempo shapes the speed, and dynamics shape the volume. A slow, soft passage feels calm, a fast, loud passage feels exciting. Composers often change both together. When you read a score, check both the tempo word and the dynamic marking at the start, then follow the changes as they come.

Check yourself

Related pages

• Ritardando: gradually slowing down
• Accelerando: gradually speeding up
• Dynamics in music: from ppp to fff
• Time signatures explained