Tempo Italian musical term referring to how fast or slow a piece of music is played. The tempo names were originally used in music to give a description of speed and mood. With the invention of the metronome, tempo began to be measured using beats per minute (bpm). Both are still commonly used but there is a range of opinion on what the settings are for each name. Some examples of tempos and their general speeds:
Grave – Slow and solemn 20-40 bpm
Largo – Slowly and broadly, dignified. 40-60 bpm
Lento- Slow. 40-60 bpm
Larghetto – Rather broadly. 60-66 bpm
Adagio – Slow and at ease. Stately. 66-76 bpm
Andante – Walking pace. 76-108 bpm
Moderato – At a moderate (medium) pace. 108-120 bpm
Allegro – Quickly and joyfully. 120-139 bpm
Vivace – Quickly and lively. 132-140 bpm
Presto – Very fast. 168-200 bpm
« Back to Glossary Index