This Italian word at the beginning of a music piece indicates how slow or fast the piece should be played. This is called the
tempo (from the Latin word
tempus meaning time) which is effective throughout the duration of the music unless the composer indicates otherwise. Here are the most common tempo marks used in music:
Tempo
| Words Used to Signify Tempo |
| Word |
Definition |
| accelerando |
play faster |
| adagio |
play slowly |
| allargando |
slow down and grow louder |
| allegretto |
moderately fast, merrily |
| allegro |
play fast and lively |
| andante |
play moderately slow |
| andantino |
moving moderately |
| a tempo |
play at the original speed |
| conmodo |
leisurely |
| con moto |
with movement |
| grave |
very, very slow |
| largo |
play very slow |
| larghetto |
fairly slow |
| l'istesso tempo |
play at the same speed |
| moderato |
play at a moderate speed |
| non troppo |
not too fast |
| poco a poco |
gradually |
| presto |
play fast and lively |
| pretissimo |
extremely fast |
| ritardando |
play gradually slower |
| ritenuto |
play slower |
| sostenuto |
sustained |
| vivace |
lively |
