Non tanto

As Printed on a Score

Follows the word it moderates in a tempo heading or direction (Presto non tanto, Allegro ma non tanto, Andante non tanto) and lasts as long as that word. It is read exactly like non troppo.

How Composers Use It

Non tanto means “not so much” and works like non troppo: it keeps the character of the word before it while holding back its degree. Players rarely distinguish the two, and Beethoven uses both forms in the finale of the Ninth. Chopin headed the finale of his B minor Sonata Presto non tanto, a fast tempo kept from becoming a scramble; use either form, but stay consistent within a work.

Example

Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, finale, piccolo, m. 763: “Allegro ma non tanto”, one of the last tempo changes before the closing Prestissimo.

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