Before metronomes existed, composers described tempo with words. By the eighteenth century Italian had become the shared vocabulary for this across Europe, and it remains the default in printed music today. The catch is that these words describe character as much as speed: Allegro literally means "cheerful," and Andante means "walking." Turning them into numbers always involves some interpretation. The chart below gives the approximate ranges we use across BPMClick, followed by the context you need to apply them sensibly.
Tempo markings BPM chart
All ranges are approximate and vary between sources, eras and performers. Treat them as the starting point for a decision, not as a rule. Some neighboring ranges overlap on purpose: Allegretto and Moderato cover similar ground, for example, but suggest a different mood.
| Marking | Literal meaning | Approx. BPM | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larghissimo | As broadly as possible | 24 and below | Extremely slow; rarely used |
| Grave | Heavy, serious | 25–45 | Very slow and solemn |
| Largo | Broad | 40–60 | Slow and dignified |
| Lento | Slow | 45–60 | Slow, often lighter than Largo |
| Larghetto | A little broad | 60–66 | Slow, but less so than Largo |
| Adagio | At ease | 66–76 | Slow and expressive |
| Andante | Walking | 76–108 | Moderately slow and flowing |
| Moderato | Moderate | 108–120 | Neither fast nor slow |
| Allegretto | A little lively | 112–120 | Moderately quick and light |
| Allegro | Cheerful, lively | 120–156 | Fast and bright |
| Vivace | Lively, vivacious | 156–176 | Fast and energetic |
| Presto | Quickly | 168–200 | Very fast |
| Prestissimo | As quickly as possible | 200 and above | Extremely fast |
Examples from the repertoire
A few famous works show how these words are used in practice:
- Barber's Adagio for Strings is marked Molto adagio, "very slow," with the modifier pushing toward the bottom of the Adagio range or below it.
- Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata opens Adagio sostenuto (slow and sustained) and ends Presto agitato (very fast and agitated): one composer using both extremes in a single work.
- The famous slow movement of Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 is marked Largo.
- The second movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 is an Allegretto, and the first movement of Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik is an Allegro.
Listen to several recordings of any of these and you will hear noticeably different tempos under the same word. That spread is normal, and it is the main reason tempo charts give ranges rather than single numbers.
Modifiers: molto, poco, assai and friends
Tempo words are often combined with modifiers that nudge them faster or slower. The most common ones are:
- Molto: very. Molto allegro is faster than plain Allegro.
- Assai: very, quite. Allegro assai is roughly equivalent to molto allegro.
- Poco: a little. Poco allegro is only slightly lively; poco a poco means "little by little."
- Ma non troppo: but not too much. Allegro ma non troppo is fast but held back.
- Non tanto: not so much; similar in effect to ma non troppo.
- Più and meno: more and less. Più mosso means "more motion" (faster); meno mosso means "less motion" (slower).
- Quasi: almost, as in quasi presto.
- Con moto: with motion. A slow tempo that should still flow, as in Andante con moto.
Character words also affect tempo choices even though they are not strictly speed indications: sostenuto (sustained), agitato (agitated), con brio (with vigor), maestoso (majestic), cantabile (in a singing style) and grazioso (graceful). A maestoso passage tends to sit at the broad end of its range, while agitato leans forward.
Two diminutive forms cause regular confusion. Andantino is usually read today as slightly faster than Andante, but some older sources used it to mean slightly slower. Adagietto is generally a little faster than Adagio. When a marking is ambiguous, let the fastest note values and the length of the phrases guide you.
Terms for changing tempo
| Term | Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Accelerando | accel. | Gradually faster |
| Stringendo | string. | Pressing forward, usually with rising intensity |
| Ritardando | rit. or ritard. | Gradually slower |
| Rallentando | rall. | Gradually slower; largely interchangeable with ritardando |
| Ritenuto | riten. | Held back at once, rather than gradually |
| Allargando | allarg. | Broadening: slower and usually fuller in tone |
| A tempo | none | Return to the previous tempo |
| Tempo primo | Tempo I | Return to the opening tempo |
| L'istesso tempo | none | The same tempo, often across a change of meter |
| Rubato | none | Flexible, expressive timing |
| Fermata | symbol (a dot under an arc) | Hold the note or rest longer than written |
Rubato deserves a note of its own. It literally means "robbed," and the classic description is that time taken in one place is given back in another, so the underlying pulse survives. Rubato only works if you have a steady pulse to depart from, which is why metronome practice is not the enemy of expressive playing.
Practicing a ritardando with a metronome
You can rehearse a gradual slowdown by setting waypoints. Suppose a phrase slows from 120 to 96 BPM over four bars. Play bar 1 at 120, bar 2 at 112, bar 3 at 104 and bar 4 at 96, pausing to change the setting between bars. After a few rounds, switch the click off and play the four bars as one smooth curve. The waypoints teach you how much slowing is "enough," which is the hardest part of a convincing ritardando.
Metronome marks: what ♩ = 120 means
Many scores add a precise metronome mark, written as a note symbol followed by a number. ♩ = 120 means 120 quarter notes per minute. The abbreviation M.M., as in "M.M. ♩ = 120," stands for Maelzel's Metronome, after Johann Nepomuk Maelzel, who patented the mechanical metronome in 1815. Beethoven was among the first major composers to publish metronome marks for his works.
The note symbol tells you which value gets the beat:
- ♩ = 120: set 120 BPM with the click on quarter notes.
- Half note = 60 (common in cut time, 2/2): 60 half notes per minute, which equals 120 quarter notes.
- Dotted quarter = 60 (common in 6/8 and 12/8): 60 dotted quarters per minute, which means 180 eighth notes. Set a two-beat bar at 60 BPM with triplet subdivision, or click every eighth note at 180 BPM with accents on the first and fourth eighths.
- c. ♩ = 80 or ca. ♩ = 80: circa, meaning approximately. The composer is inviting some flexibility.
If you are working in compound or odd meters, our guide to time signatures explains how to set the click for each one.
Why BPM ranges differ between sources
- Different reference tables. The tempo scales printed on mechanical metronomes were never standardized, and textbooks copy different versions.
- Era and style. Performance traditions change. Historically informed performances of Baroque music, for example, often choose different tempos from mid-twentieth-century recordings of the same pieces.
- The beat unit. An Adagio in 3/8 counted in eighth notes and an Adagio in 4/4 counted in quarters produce very different numbers on the metronome.
- Note density. An Allegro full of thirty-second notes will sit lower than one built from quarters and eighths.
- Acoustics and forces. A choir in a reverberant church usually needs more time than a string quartet in a dry studio, and a large orchestra moves more heavily than a soloist.
How to choose a tempo from a marking
- Look for a metronome mark first. If there is one, start there.
- If there is only a word, find its range in the chart and start near the middle.
- Find the fastest passage. Make sure it can sound clear and musical at your chosen tempo; if not, adjust the whole piece, not just that passage.
- Sing or hum the opening phrase at the tempo that feels right, and measure it with tap tempo.
- Listen to two or three recordings to hear the range of choices other musicians have made, then commit to yours.
For a page per term with practice suggestions, browse all tempo markings.