What a tempo marking is
A tempo marking is the word, usually Italian, printed above the first bar of a piece to say how fast it should go. Allegro means cheerful or lively; andante comes from the verb “to walk”; largo means broad. The words describe a character as much as a speed, which is why two conductors can take the same allegro at noticeably different tempos.
Since the metronome became common in the nineteenth century, composers have often added an exact number too, written as a note value and a BPM: a quarter note = 120, for example. When only the word is given, the chart below gives the generally accepted range.
Tempo markings chart with BPM
| Marking | Meaning | Approximate BPM | Try it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grave | Very slow, solemn | 25–45 | 40 BPM (minimum) |
| Largo | Broad, slow | 40–60 | 60 BPM |
| Larghetto | Rather broad | 60–66 | 60 BPM |
| Adagio | Slow, at ease | 66–76 | 70 BPM |
| Andante | Walking pace | 76–108 | 90 BPM |
| Moderato | Moderately | 108–120 | 110 BPM |
| Allegretto | Moderately fast, lighter than allegro | 112–120 | 120 BPM |
| Allegro | Fast, bright | 120–156 | 130 BPM |
| Vivace | Lively, fast | 156–176 | 160 BPM |
| Presto | Very fast | 168–200 | 180 BPM |
| Prestissimo | As fast as possible | 200+ | Above the metronome range |
Published charts disagree by ten or twenty BPM at the edges, and some list extra terms such as lento (between largo and adagio) or andantino (slightly faster than andante). Treat the numbers as a starting point and the word as the instruction.
Why the ranges overlap
The words came first and the numbers were fitted to them later, by different people in different centuries. Early metronome makers printed their own tables, and the ranges have drifted since. Composers also used the words differently: a Baroque largo could be faster than a Romantic adagio.
In practice, the marking tells you the character, the note value tells you what counts as a beat, and the BPM, if given, tells you the exact speed. When you only have the word, choose a tempo inside the range that lets the music breathe.
Modifiers: molto, poco, più, meno, and the suffixes
| Modifier | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| molto | very | Allegro molto: very fast |
| poco | a little | Poco adagio: a little slow |
| più | more | Più mosso: more movement, faster |
| meno | less | Meno mosso: less movement, slower |
| non troppo | not too much | Allegro non troppo: fast, but not too fast |
| assai | very, enough | Allegro assai: very fast |
| -etto | a smaller version | Allegretto: a lighter, slightly slower allegro |
| -issimo | the extreme | Prestissimo: extremely fast |
Markings that change the tempo
- Accelerando (accel.): gradually faster.
- Ritardando (rit.) and rallentando (rall.): gradually slower.
- Ritenuto (riten.): suddenly held back.
- A tempo: return to the previous tempo.
- Rubato: freely, stretching and compressing the beat for expression.
- Fermata (the “bird’s eye” symbol): hold the note longer than written.
A metronome cannot follow rubato, which is why musicians practise with the click and then perform without it. The metronome practice guide shows how to use the trainer for gradual accelerando work.
Choosing a tempo for practice
Whatever the marking says, practise below it. A piece marked allegro, 130 BPM, is first learned at 70 or 80, where every note can be placed deliberately, and brought up with the tempo trainer a few BPM at a time. The relationship between BPM and beat length is laid out in what is BPM, and every tempo page on the online metronome explains what that speed is typically used for.
Frequently asked questions
What BPM is andante?
Roughly 76 to 108 BPM, a comfortable walking pace. The word comes from the Italian andare, to walk.
Is allegretto faster or slower than allegro?
Slightly slower and lighter. The -etto suffix means a smaller version, so allegretto is usually placed around 112–120 BPM, just below allegro’s 120–156.
What does moderato mean?
Moderately, neither slow nor fast: about 108 to 120 BPM. It is often combined with other words, as in allegro moderato, meaning a restrained allegro.
What is the fastest tempo marking?
Prestissimo, meaning as fast as possible, generally above 200 BPM. Presto, 168–200 BPM, is the fastest marking most players meet in practice.
Are tempo markings always in Italian?
No. Italian is the tradition, but composers have written tempo in German (langsam, schnell), French (lent, vif), English, and other languages. The Italian terms remain the most widely understood.
Written and edited by the Playroom team, who build these browser instruments and lessons, and checked against the references above. Examples use the notes and sounds available in the Playroom instruments. About Playroom.