Adagio non troppo

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the first system as a movement heading and in force until the next tempo word. Character words such as espressivo or dolce usually follow in the parts in the opening bars, so the reader learns the manner from them rather than from the heading.

How Composers Use It

The same instruction as Adagio ma non troppo, minus the conjunction; Brahms favoured the shorter form, in Allegro non troppo as well as here. It asks for a slow tempo that keeps its line: long phrases must still connect, and inner rhythms keep moving. Use it when an Adagio risks becoming static, especially in dense, polyphonic textures where too slow a pace blurs the counterpoint.

Example

Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73, second movement, m. 1: “Adagio non troppo”, with “espressivo” and p in the third bar.

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