Tempo and character terms: a glossary
Music theory · Expression: dynamics, articulation, signs · Level 3 · 14 min
Above the first bar, the composer gives a tempo and often a character: Allegro con brio, Andante cantabile… These words, mostly Italian, are the key to interpretation. Here is the essential vocabulary, to look up as often as you need.
Tempos (slowest to fastest)
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Grave | very slow and solemn |
| Largo / Larghetto | broad / a little less broad |
| Lento | slow |
| Adagio | slow, at ease |
| Andante / Andantino | walking / a little more flowing (usage has varied!) |
| Moderato | moderate |
| Allegretto | fairly lively, less than allegro |
| Allegro | cheerful, fast |
| Vivace | lively |
| Presto / Prestissimo | very fast / as fast as possible |
Tempo changes
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| accelerando (accel.), stringendo | speeding up; pressing on |
| ritardando (rit.), rallentando (rall.) | gradually slowing down |
| ritenuto (riten.) | held back, immediately slower |
| allargando | broadening (slower and often louder) |
| morendo, smorzando, calando | dying away: slower and softer |
| a tempo, tempo primo (Tempo I) | back in tempo / back to the original tempo |
| rubato | flexible tempo, time "stolen" and given back |
| ad libitum (ad lib.) | freely |
| 𝄐 fermata (pause) | hold the note or rest longer, at will |
Character
| Term | Meaning | Term | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| dolce | sweet, tender | maestoso | majestic |
| cantabile | singing | grazioso | graceful |
| espressivo | expressive | agitato | agitated |
| leggiero | light | con brio | with spirit, brilliance |
| sostenuto | sustained | con fuoco | with fire |
| tranquillo | calm | scherzando | playful, joking |
| sotto voce | in an undertone | appassionato | passionate |
| pesante | heavy | giocoso | merry |
Essential little words
molto (very), poco (a little), poco a poco (little by little), più (more), meno (less), assai (very), non troppo (not too much), sempre (always), subito (suddenly), quasi (almost), con / senza (with / without). Example: Allegro ma non troppo = fast, but not too fast.
M:4/4 L:1/4 Q:1/4=100 K:C "^dolce"E E F G | G F E D | C C D E | "^rit."E3/2 D/ !fermata!D2 |]
French and German markings
From the 19th century on, many composers wrote in their own language:
- French (Debussy, Ravel, Satie, Fauré): Lent (slow), Modéré (moderate), Vif (lively), Animé (animated), Retenu (held back), Cédez (yield, slow down), Serrez (press on), Au mouvement (a tempo), Doux et expressif (soft and expressive), Sans rigueur (freely). Debussy: "Andante très expressif" (Clair de lune); Satie: "Lent et douloureux" — slow and sorrowful (Gymnopédie No. 1), and the poetic directions of his Gnossiennes, such as "Du bout de la pensée" (with the tip of your thought).
- German (Schumann, Brahms, Mahler): Langsam (slow), Mäßig (moderate), Lebhaft (lively), Schnell, Rasch (fast), Innig (heartfelt, intimate), Zart (tender), Ruhig (calm), Mit Ausdruck (with expression), Nicht zu schnell (not too fast). Mahler heads the movement built on Frère Jacques "Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen" (solemn and measured, without dragging).
Read the character before the tempo: in Mozart, Allegro first of all means "cheerful"; an Adagio is not only slow, it is "at ease". Ask yourself which emotion the word describes, then find the tempo that serves it.
Trap: Andantino originally meant "a little slower" than Andante for some composers and "a little faster" for others. Context (and the metronome mark, when given) decides.
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