Held back

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff where the restraint begins, often as hold back or held back a little; it lasts for the passage and is cancelled by in time, a tempo or a new tempo word.

Also spelled: hold back

How Composers Use It

The English ritenuto: an immediate restraint rather than a gradual slowing. Use it for a phrase that should hang back — an expressive peak, a word to be savoured in a song. Because it does not end on its own, write in time or a tempo where the pulse resumes, and choose gradually slower instead if you want a progressive easing.

Related Terms