Italian Tempo Marking Tempo

Beats
Translation Per
Marking
Minute
Slow Tempo Markings
Moderately
Allegro 116 - 120
quick, almost
Tempo Beats Per moderato bpm
Translation Allegro
Marking Minute
Fast, quickly 120 - 156
Very, very 20 bpm or Allegro
Larghissimo and bright bpm
slow slower
Briskly, Lively 156 - 176
Slow and 20 - 40 Vivace
Solenne/Grave and fast bpm
solemn bpm
Very fast and
40 - 60 172 - 176
Lento Slowly Vivacissimo lively, faster
bpm bpm
than Vivace
At a very slow 48 bpm or
Lentissimo Allegrissimo or
tempo slower Very Fast 172 - 176
Allegro vivace
40 - 60
Largo Broadly 168 - 200
bpm Presto Very, very fast
bpm
60 - 66
Larghetto Rather broadly Faster than 200+
bpm Prestissimo
Presto bpm
At ease, slow 66 - 76
Adagio
and stately bpm Sometimes you will see the tempo written
70 - 80 in the native language of the composer
Adagietto Rather slow
bpm (typically French, German, or English).
Tranquil,
Tranquillo calmly, or 80 bpm
peaceful French Tempo Markings
Andante A bit slower 92 - 98
moderato than Andante bpm  Au mouvement - play the original
or main tempo
Moderate Tempo Markings  Grave - slowly and solemnly
 Largement - slowly
Tempo Beats Per  Lento - slowly
Translation  Modere - moderate tempo
Marking Minute
At a walking pace, 72 - 76  Rapide - fast
Andante  Vif - lively
moderately slow bpm
Slighlty faster and  Vite - fast
73 - 83
Andantino more light hearted
bpm These two words are modifiers for tempos.
than Andante
You'll see them before the tempos defined
108 - 120
Moderato Moderately above.
bpm
Moins - less Tres - very
Moderately fast,
100 - 128 Take the tempo marking of vif, which
Allegretto but less than
bpm means lively. Tres vif would mean very
allegro
lively. Moins vif would mean less lively.
Fast Tempo Markings
German Tempo Markings
 Kraftig - vigorous or powerful
  Langsam - slowly  Stringendo - pressing on faster,
 etwas breit literally “tightening”
 Lebhaft - lively (mood)  Tardando - slowing down
 MaBig - moderately gradually (same as ritardando)
 Rasch - quickly  Tempo Giusto - very strict tempo
 Schnell - fast  Tempo Primo - resume the
 Bewegt - animated, with motion original tempo

Terms for Changes in

Tempo
Tempos will usually vary during a piece of
music. This can happen gradually or all of
a sudden. Here are some musical terms
you might see that indicate a change in
tempo:

 Accelerando - gradual speeding up

(abbreviation: accel.)
 Allargando - growing broader or
decreasing in tempo
 Calando - going slower (and
usually also softer)
 Doppio movimento / doppio piu
mosso - double-speed
 Doppio piu lento - half-speed
 Lentando - gradually slowing, and
softer
 Meno mosso - less movement;
slower
 Meno moto - less motion
 Piu mosso - more movement;
faster
 Mosso - movement, more lively;
quicker, much like piu mosso, but
not as extreme
 Precipitando - hurrying; going
faster/forward
 Rallentando (often written as
rall.) - a gradual slowing down
 Ritardando (often written as rit.)
- gradual slowing down
 Ritenuto - slightly slower, but
achieved more immediately
 Rubato - free adjustment of
(slowing) the tempo for expressive
purpose