Tempo is the Italian word for time, and it is the word that musicians use to describe the speed of a song. Tempo can be measured in beats per minute (BPM) or indicated by any of the following words:
- Lento – a very slow pace (40 to 60 BPM)
- Adagio – slowly, at ease (66 to 76 BPM)
- Andante – walking pace (78 to 108 BPM)
- Moderato – a moderate pace, just like it sounds! (108 to 120 BPM)
- Allegro - fast(120 to 140 BPM)
- Vivace - fast and lively (140 to 168 BPM)
- Presto – extremely fast (168 to 200 BPM)
We use all of these words, and more, to describe different tempos because tempo is a very important expressive aspect of music. We tend to associate slow tempos with somber, serious feelings. Faster, livelier tempos can indicate happiness.
A lot of contemporary music – especially dance tracks – maintains a consistent tempo throughout. (In fact, dance DJs carefully match songs with the same BPM so that the dancers don’t stop grooving!) But changes in tempo can be very interesting and expressive – and we have Italian words for those changes, too:
- Accelerando – getting gradually faster
- Ritardando – getting gradually slower
- A tempo – return to the previous tempo (this phrase often appears following an accelerando or ritardando.)
