Changing and Suspending the Tempo
You'll learn here to read the terms that speed up, slow down or suspend the tempo, and to recognize the fermata.
Sometimes the expression of a phrase calls for the tempo to be changed, either sped up or slowed down. Sometimes, too, a passage should not be played in strict time. These tempo changes are shown by terms written at the right place in the piece.
| To speed up | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Animato | Animated |
| Accelerando (accel.) | Speeding up |
| Doppio (movimento) | Double (twice as fast) |
| Più mosso, più moto | More motion (faster) |
| Stretto | Pressing on, tightening |
| To slow down | Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Rallentando | rall. | Slowing down |
| Ritardando | ritard. | Delaying, holding back |
| Ritenuto | rit. | Held back |
| Slargando, allargando | slarg., allarg. | Broadening |
| To suspend strict time | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ad libitum (ad lib.) | At will |
| A piacere | At pleasure |
| Rubato | Flexible, not strict |
| Senza tempo | Without strict meter |
After a tempo change, here is how the return to the regular tempo is shown:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tempo, A tempo | Back in tempo |
| Tempo primo, 1° tempo | The original tempo |
| Lo stesso tempo | The same tempo |
The fermata
The tempo can also be suspended for a moment. This suspension, of indefinite length, is shown by a half-circle sign with a dot inside it: the fermata, which British musicians also call a pause.
- When it is placed above or below a note, it tells you to hold the note as long as the performer's good taste requires. French calls this a “point d'orgue”, literally an “organ point”.
- When it is placed above or below a rest, it calls for a silence of free length. French gives it a separate name, “point d'arrêt”, a “stopping point”; in English it is simply a fermata over a rest.
You've seen how the tempo can bend and stop. In the next lesson, you'll learn to show the beats with your hands, the way a conductor does.