Adagio

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff at the head of a movement, alone or qualified — Adagio molto, Adagio sostenuto, Adagio ma non troppo, Adagio molto e cantabile — and in German scores often glossed in the vernacular (Adagio. Sehr feierlich). Inside a faster movement it can slow a single bar or a whole variation, and the faster tempo returns with a new word: a tempo, Tempo I or Allegro.

How Composers Use It

Adagio implies a singing, lyrical slowness — slow enough to ornament but with more life than Largo. It is the default marking for expressive slow movements. When writing an Adagio, think of the melody as a vocal line that needs room to breathe.

Example

Barber's Adagio for Strings — the quintessential Adagio, with long arching phrases that build through sustained string writing to a devastating climax.

Related Terms