Tempo and the Metronome
By the end of this lesson, you'll know the main tempo terms, you'll be able to read a metronome marking, and you'll know how to work out how many seconds a measure really lasts.
Let's talk about speed. Tempo, which French calls “mouvement”, is the degree of slowness or speed at which a piece should be performed.
Note and rest values only have a relative value, compared with one another: the half note is worth half a whole note, the quarter note a quarter of it, and so on. None of them has an absolute duration. It is the tempo that sets the absolute duration of these signs.
Tempo terms
Tempos cover a wide range, from the slowest to the fastest. They are shown by Italian terms placed at the beginning of the piece, above the staff.
| Term | Abbreviation | Meaning (Danhauser) |
|---|---|---|
| Largo | Broad, slow | |
| Larghetto | A little less slow than largo | |
| Lento | Slow | |
| Adagio | A little less slow than lento | |
| Andante | Andte | Moderate (at a walking pace) |
| Andantino | Andno | A little less slow than andante |
| Allegretto | Alltto | A little less fast than allegro |
| Allegro | Allo | Cheerful, fast |
| Presto | Very fast | |
| Prestissimo | Prestmo | Extremely fast |
Terms of character and expression
Other words can be added to these terms to modify them, or to describe the character or expression of the piece:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Affettuoso | Affectionate, tender |
| Agitato | Agitated |
| Brioso, con brio | With vigor, with spirit |
| Cantabile | In a singing style |
| Con anima | With soul |
| Con espressione | With expression |
| Con fuoco | With fire |
| Con moto | With motion |
| Con spirito | With spirit |
| Grave | Solemn, slow |
| Grazioso | Graceful |
| Maestoso | Majestic |
| Moderato | Moderate |
| Mosso | Lively, moving |
| Risoluto | Resolute |
| Scherzando | Playfully |
| Scherzo | A joke, a playful piece |
| Sostenuto | Sustained |
| Tempo giusto | In strict, exact time |
| Vivace | Lively |
| Vivo | Lively |
| Vivacissimo | Very lively |
Qualifying adverbs
| Adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Poco | A little |
| Poco a poco | Little by little |
| Un poco più | A little more |
| Più | More |
| Molto più | Much more |
| Non molto | Not very |
| Non tanto | Not so much |
| Non troppo | Not too much |
| Assai | Very (quite) |
| Molto | Very, much |
| Quasi | Almost |
The metronome
None of these terms pins down a tempo exactly, and the same marking is sometimes applied to different speeds. Performers would have to guess what the composer intended if no one had invented an instrument that measures speed precisely: the metronome, perfected by Maelzel.
Here's how it works. Behind the rod of a pendulum carrying a sliding weight is a graduated scale. The number shows the number of swings per minute: with the weight at 60, the pendulum beats 60 times a minute, one swing per second; at 120, it beats 120 times, one swing every half second. The lower you slide the weight, the faster the pendulum goes.
The metronome marking
The metronome marking comes after the tempo term. It is made of a note value, dotted or not, then an equals sign, then a number. The note value is the one that lasts as long as one swing, and the number is where you set the weight. So the marking “♩. = 108”, which you read as “dotted quarter note equals 108”, means 108 beats per minute, each beat worth a dotted quarter note.
Respecting the tempo exactly really matters: a piece played too fast or too slow loses its gait and its character, and the composer's intention is distorted.
| Term | Common range (quarter note) |
|---|---|
| Largo, Lento, Grave | about 40 to 60 |
| Larghetto, Adagio | about 60 to 76 |
| Andante | about 76 to 108 |
| Moderato | about 108 to 120 |
| Allegretto | about 100 to 128 |
| Allegro | about 120 to 168 |
| Vivace, Presto | about 160 to 200 |
| Prestissimo | above 200 |
Italian tempo terms do not give an exact speed: these ranges are rough guides that vary by period and edition. M.M. = Maelzel's metronome (1815).
Give the absolute duration, in seconds, of one measure in each case: a. 2/4, with the quarter note at 120; b. 3/4, with the quarter note at 84; c. 6/8, with the dotted quarter note at 60; d. cut time, or 2/2, with the half note at 80; e. 4/4, with the quarter note at 60.
Now you can read a tempo and even time a measure. In the next lesson, you'll see how a composer asks you to change the tempo along the way.