Terms relating to TEMPO
(Listed in order form very slow to very fast):
|GRAVE |Very slow and solemn |
|LARGO |Very slow and broad, with dignity |
|LENT or LENTO |Very slow |
|ADAGIO |Very slow and expressive |
|LARGHETTO |Not as slow as LARGO, but slower than ANDANTE |
|ANDANTE |Rather slow, but with a flowing movement ("Walking tempo") |
|ANDANTINO |A little quicker than ANDANTE |
|MODERATO |Moderate speed- not fast, not slow |
|ALLEGRETTO |Light and cheerful, but not as fast as ALLEGRO |
|ALLEGRO |"Merry", quick, lively, bright |
|VIVO |Lively, brisk (usually with ALLEGRO, as ALLEGRO VIVO |
|VIVACE |Vivacious, faster than ALLEGRO |
|PRESTO |Very quick, faster than VIVACE |

Terms relating to CHANGE OF TEMPO:
|ACCELERANDO |Abbreviated: accel. To increase the speed gradually |
|STRINGENDO |Abbreviated: string. To increase intensity by increasing tempo |
|AFFRETTANDO |To increase the speed gradually |
|ALLARGANDO |Abbreviated: allarg. Slower and louder |
|RITARDANDO |Abbreviated: Ritard. or Rit. Gradually slackening the speed. |
|RALLENTANDO |Abbreviated: Rall. Slowing down, gradually. |
|RUBATO |Literally means "Robbed"- a lingering on some notes and hurrying of others; free from strict tempo, but |
| |preserving the value of the rhythmic notation. |
|A TEMPO |Return to original tempo after a RITARD |
|TEMPO I (PRIMO) |Return to original tempo after a RITARD |

Words that often accompany TEMPO Markings:
|MOLTO |Very much; e.g., MOLTO RITARD means to slow down exceedingly |
|MENO |Less; e.g., MENO MOSSO means less fast (slower) |
|PIU |More |
|NON TROPPO |Not too much, e.g., ALLEGRO NON TROPPO means fast, but not too fast |
|POCO A POCO |literally "little by little". Used in combination with tempo markings. e.g., ACCEL. POCO A POCO means to increase the|
|