The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

Tempo
Means …
Slow Tempos (40–75 bpm)
grave
Very slow; solemn
largo
Slow and dignified
larghetto
A little faster than largo
lento
Slow
adagio
Moderately slow
adagietto
A little faster than adagio
Moderate Tempos (70–115 bpm)
andante
A “walking” tempo
andantino
A little faster than andante
moderato
Moderate pace
allegretto
Not quite as fast as allegro
Fast Tempos (110–220 bpm)
allegro
Fast, cheerful
vivace
Lively
presto
Very fast
prestissimo
Very, very fast
79
These tempo markings are very approximate, and even the order is not 100 per-
cent observed. The important thing the Italian terms try to get across is the
“spirit” of the music. For example, the word 
allegro 
in Italian really means
“cheerful.” When these markings are used, the precise tempo is always left to
the discretion of the orchestra’s conductor.
So when you see a piece of music marked “Allegro,” such as Bach’s 
Brandenburg
Concerto No. 6
, you know that it should be played fairly fast. If you see a piece
marked “Largo,” like the second movement of Dvor˘ák’s 
New World Symphony
,
you know that the tempo should be fairly slow. This method isn’t terribly pre-
cise, but it will get you in the ballpark.
Sometimes you’ll
see these tempo
terms accompanied
by the word 
molto
,
which means “very.” So if
you see 
molto vivace
, you
know that the music should
be played “very lively.”
Tip
Specifying tempo using traditional Italian terms.

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