Früheres Tempo

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff at a return to a tempo already heard; it holds until the next tempo word, and the reader must look back to find which tempo is meant.

Also spelled: Fruheres Tempo, Frueheres Tempo

How Composers Use It

Earlier tempo: a return to a tempo heard before, with the choice left to context — usually the main tempo before the latest change. Bruckner uses it in a movement that has already passed through several tempos. To avoid ambiguity, name the tempo or write Tempo I.

Example

Bruckner, Symphony No. 5, finale, m. 93: “Früheres Tempo”, in a movement that opens “Adagio”.

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