8

Tempo

Tempo refers to the speed of the music. The particular mood or the particular desired effect will dictate the tempo.  For example, a march for a sports event will generally have a faster tempo than a funeral march.  Composers can express tempo quantitatively by indicating how many pulses (beats) would occur per minute. The musical example "Down in the Valley" found on the page dealing with harmony indicates that 126 beats should occur per minute. Composers more often signify tempo in more general terms--terms that will be found in Lesson 2.

Listen to the following tune played at two different tempos (along with a few other modifications). Which has the faster tempo? How do they differ in mood?