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Tempo PDF

Music uses tempo, or speed, to create interest for listeners. Composers manipulate tempo throughout a piece to change its feel. Over time, musicians developed a system using Italian terms like largo, andante, and allegro to indicate standard tempos in beats per minute. A metronome helped quantify tempo precisely. While pieces often start with a set tempo, composers also use terms like ritardando and accelerando to signal gradual speeding up or slowing down. Interpretation of tempo by conductors can dramatically change the character of a work.

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782 views1 page

Tempo PDF

Music uses tempo, or speed, to create interest for listeners. Composers manipulate tempo throughout a piece to change its feel. Over time, musicians developed a system using Italian terms like largo, andante, and allegro to indicate standard tempos in beats per minute. A metronome helped quantify tempo precisely. While pieces often start with a set tempo, composers also use terms like ritardando and accelerando to signal gradual speeding up or slowing down. Interpretation of tempo by conductors can dramatically change the character of a work.

Uploaded by

HAYDN String Trio
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Tempo in Music

Music is many things, but very rarely is it completely static; it is constantly changing and
morphing, creating interest for the listener. One way composers create this type of interest is
by the manipulation of musical “time” in a piece, or the speed or rate at which music happens.
Since we traditionally use Italian for musical terms, we call musical time “tempo”, the Italian
word for “time”.

It might be slow, fast, or in-between, but tempo is one of the most important ingredients for
making music. We wouldn’t play parade music very slowly, nor would we play a funeral dirge
at an upbeat tempo. So, over time, musicians have developed a system of useful terms and
tempo markings, allowing them to quickly and efficiently recognize the given tempo of a song.

The metronome (below) was Originally, this system consisted of several Italian terms. But
developed by the German with the advent of the metronome, a mechanical device
inventor Johann Maelzel in used for keeping time, musicians could calculate how many
1816 (though it was invented beats per minute were occurring in the music. Beats per
two years earlier by Dietrich minute is a measurement of just that: the amount of beats
Winkel). that occur in a minute, and is usually abbreviated “b.p.m.”
So, for instance, a watch clicks once a second, 60 times a
minute. Therefore, a watch clicks at 60 bpm. Eventually,
each of the Italian terms would be associated with a specific
bpm so the terms would be more accurate. Here are the
most general of those terms, with their translation and
approximate bpm:

Largo—very slowly and broad (40 - 58 bpm)


Adagio—slow (60 - 76 bpm)
Andante—walking speed (80 - 106 bpm)
Moderato—moderate pace (108 - 118 bpm)
Allegro—fast, cheerful (120 - 168 bpm)
Presto—very fast (170 - 220 b.p.m)

But that’s not all. Tempo doesn’t always stay the same throughout a piece. In fact, it may
change frequently throughout a work to generate interest or certain feelings for the listener.
When music moves from one tempo to another, either slowing down or speeding up,
composers will use the Italian terms ritardando (meaning “slow down”) or accelerando
(meaning “speed up”). These two terms are often abbreviated “rit.” or “accel.” in music (see
below):
Notice the rit. marking , as well
as the hyphens (“- - - - -”) that
draw out the tempo slowing over
several measures.

Because tempo is such a basic building block of music, a piece can take on a completely
different character depending on who is conducting and how they interpret tempo. Try listening
to these two versions of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1, Prelude to see if you can hear the difference
(besides the instruments):
Jacob Reuven, Mandola
Mischa Maiskey, Cello

Written by Jordan Drum, Education Assistant


The Phoenix Symphony

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