Tempo


In musical terminology, tempo, measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given composition, and is often also an indication of the composition's character or atmosphere. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece and, if a specific metrical pace is desired, is usually measured in beats per minute. In modern classical compositions, a "metronome mark" in beats per minute, indicating only measured speed and not any form of expression, may supplement or replace the normal tempo marking, while in modern genres like electronic dance music, tempo will typically simply be stated in bpm.
Tempo is one of the three factors that give a piece of music its texture. The others are meter, which is indicated by a time signature, and articulation, which determines how each note is sounded and how notes are grouped into larger units. While the ability to hold a steady tempo is a vital skill for a musical performer, tempo is malleable. Depending on the genre of a piece of music and the performers' interpretation, a piece may be played with slight variations in tempo, known as tempo rubato, or significant variations. In ensembles, the tempo is often maintained by having players synchronise with a conductor or with a specific instrumentalist, for instance the first violin or the drummer.

Measurement

Although tempo is described or indicated in many different ways, including with a range of words, it is typically measured in beats per minute. For example, a tempo of 60 beats per minute signifies one beat per second, while a tempo of 120 beats per minute is twice as rapid, signifying two beats every second. The note value of a beat will typically be that indicated by the denominator of the time signature. For instance, in time, the beat will be a crotchet, or quarter note.
This measurement and indication of tempo became increasingly popular during the first half of the 19th century, after Johann Nepomuk Maelzel invented the metronome. Beethoven was one of the first composers to use the metronome; in the 1810s, he published metronomic indications for the eight symphonies he had composed up to that time.
With the advent of modern electronics, beats per minute became an extremely precise measure. Music sequencers use the bpm system to denote tempo. In popular music genres such as electronic dance music, accurate knowledge of a tune's bpm is important to DJs for the purposes of beatmatching.
The speed of a piece of music can also be gauged according to measures per minute or bars per minute, the number of measures of the piece performed in one minute. This measure is commonly used in ballroom dance music.

Choosing speed

In different musical contexts, different instrumental musicians, singers, conductors, bandleaders, music directors or other individuals will select the tempo of a song or piece. In a popular music or traditional music group or band, the bandleader or drummer may select the tempo. In popular and traditional music, whoever is setting the tempo often counts out one or two bars in tempo. In some songs or pieces in which a singer or solo instrumentalist begins the work with a solo introduction, the tempo they set will provide the tempo for the group. In an orchestra or concert band, the conductor normally sets the tempo. In a marching band, the drum major may set the tempo. In a sound recording, in some cases, a record producer may set the tempo for a song. Differences in tempo and its interpretation can differ between cultures, as shown by Curt Sachs when comparing Tunisian with Western Classical melodies, while certain genres display rhythmic variation in line with their forms, as occurs with flamenco and its palos.

Musical vocabulary

In classical music, it is customary to describe the tempo of a piece by one or more words, most commonly in Italian, in addition to or instead of a metronome mark in beats per minute. Italian is typically used because it was the language of most composers during the time these descriptions became commonplace in the Western musical lexicon. Some well-known Italian tempo indications include "Allegro", "Andante" and "Presto". This practice developed during the 17th and 18th centuries, the baroque and classical periods. In the earlier Renaissance music, performers understood most music to flow at a tempo defined by the tactus. The mensural time signature indicated which note value corresponded to the tactus.
In the Baroque period, pieces would typically be given an indication, which might be a tempo marking, or the name of a dance, the latter being an indication both of tempo and of metre. Any musician of the time was expected to know how to interpret these markings based on custom and experience. In some cases, however, these markings were simply omitted. For example, the first movement of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 has no tempo or mood indication whatsoever. Despite the increasing number of explicit tempo markings, musicians still observe conventions, expecting a minuet to be at a fairly stately tempo, slower than a Viennese waltz; a perpetuum mobile quite fast, and so on. Genres imply tempos, and thus, Ludwig van Beethoven wrote "In tempo d'un Menuetto" over the first movement of his Piano Sonata Op. 54, though that movement is not a minuet.
Many tempo markings also indicate mood and expression. For example, presto and allegro both indicate a speedy execution, but allegro also connotes joy. Presto, on the other hand, simply indicates speed. Additional Italian words also indicate tempo and mood. For example, the "agitato" in the Allegro agitato of the last movement of George Gershwin's piano concerto in F has both a tempo indication and a mood indication.
Often, composers name movements of compositions after their tempo marking. For instance, the second movement of Samuel Barber's first String Quartet is an Adagio.

Basic tempo markings

Here follows a list of common tempo markings. The beats per minute values are very rough approximations for time, and vary widely according to composers and works. A metronome marking cannot be deduced from one of the descriptive Italian or non-Italian terms alone. Where both metronome marking and a word indication occur together, the verbal cue is often also intended to express a style or feeling, which a metronome marking alone cannot do.
It is therefore important to remember that the exact sense of many of these terms has changed over time. One striking example is the use of the term Allegretto. Between its early use in the 18th century and its later use from the 19th century onwards, it has experienced a slight increment in the tempo that it is intended to denote. Originally, it implied a tempo very slightly faster than Andante, whereas now it is often used to indicate one that is just a little slower than Allegro. A similar fate has befallen the terms Adagietto and Andantino. Likewise, the terms Largo and Adagio have experienced a considerable shift with regards to the tempi, in beats per minute, that they are required to express: A modern Largo is slower than Adagio, but in the Baroque period it was faster.

Approximately from the slowest to the fastest

  • Larghissimo – extremely slow, slowest type of tempo
  • Adagissimo and Grave – very slow and solemn
  • Largo – slow and broad
  • Larghetto – rather slow and broad
  • Adagio – slow with great expression
  • Adagietto – slower than andante or slightly faster than adagio
  • Lento – slow
  • Andante – at a walking pace, moderately slow
  • Andantino – slightly faster than andante, but slower than moderato
  • Marcia moderato – moderately, in the manner of a march
  • Andante moderato – between andante and moderato
  • Moderato – at a moderate speed
  • Allegretto – by the mid-19th century, moderately fast ; see paragraph above for earlier usage
  • Allegro moderato – close to, but not quite allegro
  • Allegro – fast and bright
  • Molto Allegro or Allegro vivace – at least slightly faster and livelier than allegro, but always at its range
  • Vivace – lively and fast
  • Vivacissimo and Allegrissimo – very fast, lively and bright
  • Presto – very fast
  • Prestissimo – extremely fast

    Additional terms

  • A piacere or Ad libitum in Latin – the performer may use their own discretion with regard to tempo and rhythm; literally "at pleasure"
  • Accelerando – gradually play faster
  • Assai – much
  • A tempo – resume previous tempo
  • Con Brio – with vigor
  • Con grazia – with grace, or gracefully
  • Con moto – Italian for "with movement"; can be combined with a tempo indication, e.g., Andante con moto
  • Furioso or Furibondo – 'furiously'
  • Lamentoso – sadly, plaintively
  • L'istesso, L'istesso tempo, or Lo stesso tempo – at the same speed; L'istesso is used when the actual speed of the music has not changed, despite apparent signals to the contrary, such as changes in time signature or note length
  • Ma non tanto – but not so much; used in the same way and has the same effect as Ma non troppo but to a lesser degree
  • Ma non troppo – but not too much; used to modify a basic tempo to indicate that the basic tempo should be reined in to a degree; for example, Adagio ma non troppo to mean "Slow, but not too much", Allegro ma non troppo to mean "Fast, but not too much"
  • Maestoso – majestically, stately
  • Molto – very
  • Meno – less
  • Più – more
  • Poco – little
  • Rall. or "Rallentando" – opposite of Accelerando
  • Subito – suddenly
  • Tempo comodo – at a comfortable speed
  • Tempo di... – the speed of a..., Tempo di marcia )
  • Tempo giusto – at a consistent speed, at the 'right' speed, in strict tempo
  • Tempo primo – resume the original tempo
  • Tempo semplice – simple, regular speed, plainly