Pas trop

As Printed on a Score

Printed before the word it caps — Pas trop lent, pas trop vite — usually in a tempo heading at the start of a song or movement, where it lasts until the next tempo word. Read it as one unit with the word that follows; it never stands alone.

How Composers Use It

The French non troppo: it keeps the character of the word it qualifies while forbidding the extreme. Pas trop lent asks for a slow tempo that still moves — a useful heading for songs where the line must breathe but not drag. Prefer it to a vaguer word like modéré when the danger is specifically excess in one direction, and pair it with a metronome mark if the exact pace matters.

Example

Chausson, Sept Mélodies, Op. 2, “La dernière feuille”, voice, m. 1: “Pas trop lent” heads the song; “un peu plus vite” arrives at m. 19 and “Tempo I” at m. 35.

Related Terms