Come al principio

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff where the opening tempo or music returns; it refers back to the movement’s first tempo heading and lasts until the next tempo word. German scores print Wie zu Anfang, and bilingual editions print both.

How Composers Use It

In effect a Tempo I, but it can also imply the opening’s character, not only its speed. Use it when the return of the beginning is a structural event the performer should feel as a homecoming. It is unambiguous only if the movement had one clear opening tempo; after many changes, name it (Tempo I) to avoid doubt.

Example

Mahler, Kindertotenlieder, “Wenn dein Mütterlein”, voice, m. 33: “Come al principio” beside the German “Wie zu Anfang”, two bars after “poco ritard.”

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