As before

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff where an earlier manner or tempo returns, often after a contrasting episode, and in force until the next tempo or character word. The reader has to look back to the passage it refers to; the Italian come prima and the German wie vorher are its usual equivalents.

How Composers Use It

Use it when a return should restore a whole way of playing — touch, bowing, mood — and not only a speed. It is looser than Tempo I, which names the opening tempo specifically: as before can point at any earlier passage, so make sure only one could be meant. Repeat the metronome figure if the earlier tempo was given as one.

Related Terms