Lesson 2
Rhythm
Notation

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rhythm
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WA 2

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8

Tempo

Tempo refers to the rate of speed of the beat.  The commonly used terms to denote tempo are Italian.  In large compositions such as concertos and symphonies, individual sections (called movements) are often titled by the tempos marking given in the score by the composer.  If you attend an orchestra concert you can observe this in the written program.

The most frequently used terms encountered in music literature are listed here, from slowest to fastest.

       
    Italian term  

Definition

 
         
    largo

  very slow  
    lento

  slow  
    adagio

  leisurely slow  
    andante

  a walking pace  
    moderato

  moderate  
    allegretto

  moderately fast  
    allegro

  fast  
    presto

  very fast  
    prestissimo

  very, very fast  
    ritardando

  gradually slowing down    
    accelerando   gradually speeding up  
         

 

The metronome (made popular by Johannes N. Maelzel in the early 1800s) is a device that can be adjusted to produce the desired number of beats per minute.  For example, a composer can specify that the quarter note should be played at 84 per minute by showing M.M. = 84 in the score.  Obviously, the higher the number, the faster the tempo; conversely, the lower the number, the slower the tempo.

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