Tempo refers to the speed at which a musical piece is meant to be played and can be either fast or slow. Common tempo markings include Lento and Adagio for slow tempos with 52-58 beats per minute, Andante and andantino for moderate tempos of 72-92 beats per minute, and Allegro and Vivace for fast tempos of 120-145 beats per minute. Additional tempo markings like accelerando and ritardando indicate gradually getting faster or slower.

1. Tempo

2. • Tempo comes from the Latin word
tempus, which means time.
• Tempo is the speed at which a
musical piece or passage is meant to
be played.
• It can be fast or slow.

3. Slow Tempo
Tempo Mark Meaning
Number of Beats per
Minute
Lento Slowly 52-54
Adagio Slow 56-58
Moderate Tempo
Tempo Mark Meaning
Number of Beats per
Minute
Andante Moderately slow tempo or
walking speed
72-76
andantino Moderate slow but flowing
tempo
88-92

4. Fast Tempo
Tempo Mark Meaning
Number of Beats per
Minute
Allegro Fast 120-130
Vivace Lively and Fast 140-145
Tempo Mark Abbreviation Meaning
accelerando Accel. Gradually getting faster
ritardando Rit. Gradually slowing down