Di

As Printed on a Score

Appears only inside phrases, linking a tempo or idea to what defines it (“Tempo di Menuetto”, “Tempo di marcia”, “Ritmo di tre battute”, “più di forza”), usually in a heading above the first system. The phrase lasts as its head word would: a tempo heading until the next tempo word.

How Composers Use It

Di (of) builds compound directions: Tempo di valse asks for a waltz’s pace and lilt, Ritmo di tre battute groups the bars in threes. Such phrases borrow a meaning players already know, which makes them economical; Tempo di Menuetto tells an orchestra more about pace and accent than a bare Allegretto would. Use the established forms, since a newly invented Tempo di … works only if the reference is unmistakable.

Example

Beethoven, Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93, third movement, flute, m. 1: “Tempo di Menuetto” heads the movement.

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