Dictionary of Classical Music Terms | Tempo
Welcome to my Dictionary of Classical Music Terms, a small series I decided to start on my blog in order to help any young musicians or new students understand all of these different musical words that can be found scattered across almost every score and manuscript you might pick up. Today is all about Tempo Markings, which are probably the most common of the musical terms, and therefore, the most important to understand. I will be sharing the main examples for Italian, French, and German.
Enjoy! x
Italian:
In Classical Music, Italian terms are generally seen as the standard, which is why they appear on the works of composers all around the world, even if the composer themselves is not Italian. Here are the primary Italian tempo markings that are commonly used in Classical Music. I have ordered them from slowest to fastest, following their standard ‘beats per minute’ (bpm).
French:
Although Italian might be seen as the Classical Music standard, it doesn’t not mean that all composers use it within their music. Many composers prefer to write the tempo markings and expression markings in their own language. For example, some notable French composers to write in their own language include Couperin, Rameau, Debussy, Messiaen, Ravel, and Satie. Therefore, here are some of the French tempo markings equivalent to the Italian terms. Again, they are ordered from slow to fast.
German:
Lastly we come to German. German tempo markings started to be used by German composers from around Beethoven onwards, including Schumann, Hindemith, and Mahler. Like before, these terms are ordered from slow to fast.
Tune in next time where we will be diving into the Italian, French, and German markings that signify Tempo Changes. See you there!
Sources:
