Andante

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a movement heading and very often qualified — Andante con moto, Andante cantabile, Andante grazioso, Andante sostenuto, poco Andante. Mid-movement it sets a new section’s tempo until the next tempo word. Più andante needs care: in older usage it means more moving (faster), though many later readers take it as slower; context and any metronome mark decide.

How Composers Use It

Andante is the great middle tempo — not slow, not fast. It implies steady, natural forward motion, like walking. Use it for movements that should flow without urgency. Andante works beautifully for theme-and-variation movements where the theme needs to be clearly stated.

Example

Mozart's Piano Sonata K. 331, first movement (Andante grazioso) — the famous "Turkish Rondo" sonata opens with a graceful theme and variations at walking pace.

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