Do not hurry

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff or over the voice, often in parentheses — an English rendering of nicht eilen, or a composer’s own warning. Placed under the tempo heading it guards the tempo for the whole movement; placed mid-piece it covers a passage where rushing is likely.

How Composers Use It

A preventive instruction against rushing, the mirror image of do not drag. Mahler uses nicht eilen this way, right under a tempo word such as Gemächlich, to insist that a leisurely pace be kept. Use it where momentum, excitement or a running accompaniment might pull the performer ahead; it asks for steadiness, not slowing.

Example

Mahler, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, “Ging heut’ morgen übers Feld”, voice, m. 1: “(do not hurry)”, this edition’s English for Mahler’s “(nicht eilen)” beneath the heading “Gemächlich”.

Related Terms