Metre and rhythm
Speed or tempo
The tempo of a piece of music is the speed of the underlying beat. Like a heartbeat, it can also be thought of as the ‘pulse’ of the music.
Tempo is measured in BPM, or beats per minute. One beat every second is 60 BPM. Sometimes the tempo is written at the beginning of the music and is called a metronome marking. Tempo and stylistic feel are often indicated in classical music by Italian terminology.
60 BPM
90 BPM
120 BPM
Here are some of the common Italian musical terms and their meanings.
Musical terms
| Music Term | Meaning |
| Largo | Slowly and broadly |
| Andante | Fairly slow - at walking pace |
| Moderato | At moderate speed |
| Allegro | Fast |
| Vivace | Lively |
| Presto | Very quick |
| Accelerando | Gradually speeding up |
| Rallentando | Gradually slowing down |
| Ritenuto | Immediately slower |
| Allargando | Getting slower and broadening |
| Rubato | Literally 'robbed time', where rhythms are played freely for expressive effect |
| Music Term | Largo |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Slowly and broadly |
| Music Term | Andante |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Fairly slow - at walking pace |
| Music Term | Moderato |
|---|---|
| Meaning | At moderate speed |
| Music Term | Allegro |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Fast |
| Music Term | Vivace |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Lively |
| Music Term | Presto |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Very quick |
| Music Term | Accelerando |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Gradually speeding up |
| Music Term | Rallentando |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Gradually slowing down |
| Music Term | Ritenuto |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Immediately slower |
| Music Term | Allargando |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Getting slower and broadening |
| Music Term | Rubato |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Literally 'robbed time', where rhythms are played freely for expressive effect |
Tempo, or time, with the Italian terms demonstrated