Loading…
Loading…
Return to the original tempo after a deviation (ritardando, accelerando, rubato, etc.).
Always mark a tempo after any tempo modification to tell performers exactly where the original tempo resumes. Forgetting this marking is one of the most common notation oversights — it leaves performers guessing when to return to tempo.
Throughout Brahms's chamber music — after his frequent ritardandos, Brahms carefully marks a tempo to restore the pulse.
A tempo is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
Browse the full dictionary →