Table of Tempo Markings :: We mentioned in lesson 2 that musical notation is an example of proportional notation. The relationship between notes and rests is formalised but the duration or time value of any particular note is unquantified. Until the invention of a mechanical device called the metronome, the performance speed of a piece of music was indicated in three possible ways: through the use of tempo marks, most commonly in Italian; by reference to particular dance forms whose general tempi would have been part of the common experience of musicians of the time; by the way the music was written down, in particular, the choice of note for the beat and/or the time signature employed. The most common tempo related marks are listed below with, in some cases, suggestions as to the number of beat per minute equivalent to those markings. Tempo Markings Definition Beats per minute Italian setting the tempo grave very slow and solemn 40 bpm or slower larghissimo extremely slow 40 bpm or slower lentissimo extremely slow, but not as slow as larghissimo   adagissimo extremely slow, but slower than largo   largo broad, very slow and dignified 42-66 bpm larghetto less slow than largo   largamente broadly   adagio slow, but not as slow as largo 58-97 bpm adagietto slow, but less slow than adagio   lento slow 52-108 bpm lentamente slowly   andantino a little slower than andante but sometimes a little faster than adagio   andante moving along - walking pace 56-88 bpm con moto with movement, or a certain quickness   moderato moderate speed 66-126 bpm allegretto pretty lively   vivace quick and lively   allegro quick, lively and bright 84-144 bpm allegramente quicker   presto very quick 100-152 bpm allegrissimo very quick, between presto and vivacissimo   vivacissimo very quick, faster than vivace   prestissimo very quick - as quickly as possible   rapido rapid   veloce with velocity, speedily   changing the tempo doppio movimento twice as fast   accelerando, accel. getting steadily faster   stringendo getting faster   affrettando to increase speed gradually   incalzando to increase speed gradually   meno mosso slower   ritardando, rit., ritard. getting gradually slower   rallentando, rall. getting gradually slower   tardando getting gradually slower   slentando getting gradually slower   slendendo slowing down   strascinando getting gradually slower   allargando, allarg. getting slower, and maybe also louder   calando getting slower as well as softer   deficiendo getting slower as well as softer   mancando getting slower as well as softer   morendo getting slower as well as softer   sminuendo getting slower as well as softer   smorzando getting slower as well as softer   ritenuto, rit., riten. holding back tempo - sometimes suddenly taking a slower tempo   più mosso take the new section at a faster steady pace than the preceding section   più moto take the new section at a faster steady pace than the preceding section   veloce take the new section at a faster steady pace than the preceding section   ritenuto take the new section at a slower steady pace than the preceding section   meno mosso take the new section at a slower steady pace than the preceding section   meno moto take the new section at a slower steady pace than the preceding section   a tempo returning to a previous tempo   tempo primo returning to tempo at beginning   lunga pausa a long pause   l'istesso tempo the same tempo but where the meter changes, for example from 2/2 to 6/4   rubato a direction related to rhythmic shape rather than tempo - the overall tempo remains unchanged but the rhythmic division within one or more bars is freer than the notes as they are notated   German belebt animated   breit broad   breiter broader   geschwinder more rapid, swift   grossem large, big   klagend lamenting   langsam slow   langsamer slower   mässig moderate   rasch quick   schnell fast   schneller faster   French animé animated   grande large, great   grave slow, solemn, deep slow   gravement gravely, solemnly   lent slow   vif lively   vite fast   Georg Muffat (1653-1704), though of French birth and of Scottish ancestry, considered himself a German and was instrumental in bringing the musical styles of the French and Italian courts into German-speaking countries. As a boy he studied with Lully and others in Paris and so was familiar with the musical style of les Vingt-quatre violins du Roi. With regard to tempo, Muffat, writing in his Auserlesene Instrumentalmusik (pub. 1701), describes the Italian manner which he favours, "in which passages marked with the words Adagio, Grave, Largo, etc. are taken much more slowly than our [German] musicians would play [...]. However, those marked Allegro, Vivace, Presto, Piú Presto, and Prestissimo are taken much livelier and faster." Pasquini, an Italian violinist/composer who worked in England in about 1740-50, gave suggested tempi for the performance of Corelli's Concerto da chiesa in G minor fatto per la notte di Natale Op. 6 No. 8, which have come down to us through a publication of 1785 by the English publisher R. Bremner. These, too, offer guidance on the association between Italian markings and metronome marks for Italian music written in the first half of the eighteenth century. Tempo Markings Time Signature Beats per minute grave C, common time, or alla breve 60 bpm Largo - Pastorale 12/8 70-80 bpm Adagio C, common time 60 bpm Allegro C, common time 110-115 bpm Allegro C, common time 150-160 bpm Allegro alla breve 120 bpm Vivace 3/4 50-55 bpm While it might seem useful to ascribe a particular metronome mark to each tempo mark, you will notice that there is a wide variation associated with each mark and as Andantino demonstrates, not a little confusion. In general, these markings should be used carefully. Very often, the style of the piece of music or the skill of the musician, dictates the range of tempi within which a performance can be convincing and it is this, the 'conviction of the performance' which should be the judge, not rigorous attention to particular tempo markings, which are guides more to 'mood' than to 'speed'. Charles Rosen has written an illuminating article on the tempo sign Andante. We quote from it below. Andante over the years was the most malleable, the most changeable of musical directions. It might almost seem to have meant at different times all things to all men. Literally it signified simply "going". For a while, in the eighteenth century, it meant "play straightforwardly" - that is, the piece was to be played cleanly in very strict time, and without any of the fancy French stylistic manner of dotted rhythms (the French liked to play the rhythms unevenly, with a pronounced lilt). Handel's andantes in the 1730s and 1740s seem to have been attached most often to pieces which needed a relatively brisk tempo. When he wanted a slower andante, he wrote "Andante larghetto." When he wished the andante faster than his usual relatively quick interpretation of the term, he even noted "Andante allegro" (for example, in Medoro's aria, Vorrei poetrii amar, at the opening of the third act of Orlando). For Handel andante meant moving forward with a sense of pace and no lingering. Mozart's employment of Andante was more moderate than Handel's but it was faster than is sometimes thought today. When his sister mentioned an Adagio in one of his concertos, he corrected her firmly, remarking that all of his recent concertos had andantes, not adagios (for a while in the middle of the eighteenth century, adagio meant not only "slow," but was an invitation to the performer to add many ornaments). Andante was a favorite designation of Mozart, used many hundreds of times. Musically, things slowed down in the nineteenth century. Symphonies and operas and quartets became longer; even longer phrases became the rule. Andante, too, slowed, and the tempo mark now signified something more ruminative, more reflective. The real puzzle - and this started in the late eighteenth century - is what is meant by molto andante (very andante) or più andante (more andante): was "more andante" faster or slower than "andante"? Beethoven was not sure and consulted others. Finally he decided that more andante was faster, but then he had to write out an explanation. He was explicit in the variation finale of the Sonata in E Major Op. 109 : the fourth variation is marked "a little but less andante, that is, a little bit more adagio than the theme". In my experience, it is one of the most difficult tempos to set; even in the nineteenth century it implies that the listener should not feel the tempo was either fast or slow, but nevertheless with a pace that does not have the bland and dawdling impression of a moderato. Andante generally demands that the music look forward, and move without stumbling or impediment. It neither lingers nor hurries. Andante is basically a tempo today which signifies a free movement, continuously progressive, unconstrained and unforced. Fermata, Fetura & Caesura :: The fermata (also called hold or bird's eye) is a semicircle containing a dot which may lie above or below a note or rest or over a barline. there are three uses for the fermata: to extend the duration of a note a fermata placed over a note (regardless of note duration) signifies that the performer is to extend the duration of that note by an amount left to the player's or conductor's discretion to extend the duration of a rest a fermata placed over a rest (regardless of duration) signifies that the performer is to extend the duration of that rest by an amount left to the player's or conductor's discretion to insert a silence a fermata placed over a barline signifies that the performer ceases to perform for a period left to the player's or conductor's discretion Sometimes the fermata may be followed by a pair of oblique lines, ||, lying through the top line of the staff. This is called a fetura or caesura although some conductors may also call them tramlines, railroad tracks or a cut-off. The sign means that there is a silent pause in the onward flow of the musical line. We illustrate the sign below. If the passage immediately following a fetura is to be played by a single instrument in free tempo, then it will be marked with the words Colla voce (It.: with the voice) or Colla parte (It.: with the part) meaning that the accompanying instruments should take their tempo from the solo voice or part. A horizontal line will extend above the whole passage to be treated thus. In poetry, a caesura is a pause somewhere in the middle of a verse often marked with two vertical lines ||. Some lines of poetry have strong (easily recognizable) caesurae, which usually coincide with punctuation, while others have weak ones. Pope was able to keep his heroic couplets interesting by varying the position of the caesurae, as here: Alas how changed! || What sudden horrors rise! A naked lover || bound and bleeding lies! Where, where was Eloise? || her voice, her hand, Her poniard, || had opposed the dire command. Dance Tempi :: If one wants to rely on a dance name to indicate tempo, you must remember that the same dance could have have been danced at different tempi at different times in history. In addition there is good evidence that when accompanying dancers the tempo should be strict and unvarying. The dancing master, Kellom Tomlinson, in 'The Art of Dancing' explained by reading and figures; whereby the manner of performing the steps is made easy by a new and familiar method: being the original work, first designed in the year 1724 ... , tells us: "… it may perhaps be objected and at first View with great Show of Reason, that the Time in Dancing is various and liable to be changed to faster or slower, according to the Performer's Fancy ... This caused the Ancients to say, the Gods gave a Genius to Music and Dancing; and it is of that Importance in the latter as to render it impossible to please without Keeping Time, nor is it to be called Dancing without it." Purely instrumental dance pieces generally have faster tempi than if they were to be used to accompany dancing although there are cases where the instrumental version is actually slower than when danced. Tempi may alter at appropriate moments during the performance, for example, in the last two bars there might be a slight retard. We give below general guidance to the character of the more popular early dance forms. Dance Name Expected Speed Alman a heavy dance in 1676 England: 'ayrey and Lively' J. S. Bach's time: the Allemande no longer reflected a particular dance form. In a study of allemandes of this period, neither clear choreographic roots nor distinguishable recurring rhythmic patterns have been found; nor do any choreographies survive Bouree Quantz (eighteenth century): merry Bransle many different tempi, sometimes quick, sometimes slower Chaconne Quantz (eighteenth century): played with majesty Chichona in 1679 England: a Grave kind of Humour Coranto Courante in 1679 England: quick, 'full of Sprightfulness, and Vigour, Lively, Brisk and Cheerful' Quantz (eighteenth century): played with majesty Pierre Rameau (1725): it is a "very solemn dance with a nobler style and grander manner than the others, is very varied in its figures, and has dignified and distinguished movements" Corrente Italian corrente (early eighteenth century): a virtuoso piece for violin or keyboard. It usually consists continuous elaboration in quavers (eighth notes) or semiquavers (sixteenth notes) over a bass in fast triple meter, with simple textures, slow harmonic rhythm, and phrases of varying length. Techniques of elaboration include arpeggiation, sequential repetition, two melodic parts combined into a single line, figures resembling an Alberti bass, and passage-work covering several octaves Galliard in the 16th century it was lively and stirring in 1676 England: it was grave and sober the Italian Galliard is sometimes called a salterello Gavotte Quantz (eighteenth century): more moderate than a Bouree Gigue Quantz (eighteenth century): quick and merry, lightly the most distinctive feature of this characteristically French dance is its graceful lilt, produced by the almost constant use of the sautillant figure: [dotted quaver (dotted eighth note), semiquaver (sixteenth note), quaver (eighth note)] Giga the Giga is, by the Baroque period, no longer a dance form but an instrumental piece Ground in 1679 England: 'Slow Notes, very Grave and Stately' Loure in moderate 6/4 time and with dotted rhythms leaning heavily on the strong beats Menuet in 1703 France: very merry dance originating from Poitou in 1750 France: it is noble and elegant, moderate rather than fast Marche Quantz (eighteenth century): played seriously Passacaille, Passacaglia see Quantz (eighteenth century): similar to a Chaconne but a little quicker Pavanne in 1507 London: a 'staide musicke' in 1676 England: grave and sober Rigaudon Quantz (eighteenth century): merry Sarabande in 1679 England: Toyish, and Light at the same time in France it was slow and pathetic the sarabands of Handel and Bach are generally slow movements Tambourin Quantz (eighteenth century): a little faster than a Bouree Tattle de Moy in 1679 England: like a [quicker] Saraband only 'It has more of Conceit in It .. and Humour' Early dance is a very specialist field and we recommend two pioneering books for further reference: Mabel Dolmetsch, Dances of England and France from 1450 to 1600 (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul [1949]) Mabel Dolmetsch, Dances of Spain and Italy from 1400 to 1600 (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul [1954]) Reference: Baroque Dance and the Bach Cello Suites by Tim Janof from which we have drawn some of the information in the table above Dance History Archives - an excellent resource about the history and character of dance Tempo through Notation :: In his Interpretation of Music of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, Arnold Dolmetsch wrote: The proper tempo of a piece of music can usually be discovered by an intelligent musician, if he is in sympathy with its style, and possesses sufficient knowledge of the instrument for which it is written. But here agin we must guard against prejudices and so-called tradition, for many a musician who would be sensitive enough to the tempo of modern music, will not hesitate at committing the most glaring absurdity when old music is concerned. Dolmetsch was writing early in the twentieth century when there was little knowledge about early music, early dance or of the characteristics of the instruments on which it might have been played. Even today almost a hundred years later, many of us have never danced a Pavan or Polka and a piece of music bearing such a title would have us none the wiser as to the way it was danced nor how it might be performed. A source of some confusion in the matter of tempo is the habit some modern editors have of replacing all the notes in a work with notes half their time value. Where the principal beat might originally have been a minim, it is now rewritten as a crotchet. This 'modernisation' of notation makes it impossible to use the fact that in the sixteenth century 'white music', that filled with breves, semibreves and minims, was generally played much faster than 'black' music, that filled with crotchets, quavers and semiquavers. There is good evidence from tutors published in the early eighteenth century that time signatures could indicate tempi. Some are given in the table below. The two sources are 'The Compleat Flute Master' (London c.1700) and 'The Compleat Tutor for the Violin by Mr. Dean' (London, 1707). time signature expected speed (Flute Master - c.1700) expected speed (Violin Master - 1707) very slow motion very solid or slow movement somewhat faster quicker brisk and light Ayres as quick again as the first, and are called 'retorted time' occasionally shown with a large number two crossed with a vertical line some writers maintained that, reading from top to bottom, the three signs above indicated exact proportions of (4:2:1) grave movement much quicker fast, for jiggs, paspies, etc.     much quicker Here again, considering only two methods published within a few years of each other, there is a certain amount of disagreement and it is a wise musician that uses this information carefully. Certainly, what evidence it provides can only be applied very narrowly to music performed in London at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Metronome Marks :: Ascribing accurate tempi to music was something many musicians sought. In his "Harmonie Universelle" published in 1636, Mersenne gives the time value of a 'Minim' as that of a beat of the heart. The first metronome was invented by Étienne Loulié in 1696. His device was rather tall; 2 metres high (almost 7 feet). A number of mechanical improvements lead to the modern (spring-operated) portable metronome. These were carried out by Ditrich Nikolaus Winkel (1780-1826) and Johann Nepomuk Maelzel (1772-1838). As they worked independently there was some dispute as to had actually arrived first at the various technical improvements. In the end the better business-man, Maelzel, made the metronome available to a larger public and, as a result, it is his name that figures in the famous tempo sign: MM=120. MM is short for 'Maelzel's Metronome'. Composers who insisted on their music being performed at exactly the right tempo welcomed the metronome because now they could give an exact number of beats per minute (bpm). They supplied recommended metronome markings above the published music so that everybody knew what they wanted. Unfortunately, we know that many of the early metronomes were inferior and did not always run reliabily. In other cases, the editors or publishers added their own marks, without any regard to the opinion of the composer. These mechanical devices have now been superceded by solid state electronic devices that are more reliable and much cheaper to manufacture. Metronome marks should be treated just like any other tempo marking - as a guide, to be ignored if the result is impractical or unmusical. References: A Short History of Metronomes Download Your Own Metronome