TEMPO is an Italian word meaning “rate of speed”. Tempo marks tell how fast or slow the music should be played. Most musical terms are written in Italian since Italian composers were
among the first to write such instructions on their manuscripts. Tempo marks
are written above the music.
Moderato may be combined with other words:
Allegro moderato (Allegretto) = slightly slower than Allegro but quicker than Moderato.
A Gradual Change of Tempo
Terms used to indicate a gradual
change in tempo are:
A tempo - Return to the original speed.
