Pas trop lent

As Printed on a Score

A tempo heading at the head of a song or movement, printed above the first system and lasting until the next tempo word. Read it as slow but moving: later changes (un peu plus vite, Tempo I) are measured against it.

How Composers Use It

Slow, with a warning against dragging — the French equivalent of Lento non troppo. It suits songs whose line must keep breathing forward even though the mood is grave, and Chausson heads two of his songs with it, “La dernière feuille” and “Oraison”. If the risk is the opposite — a slow piece taken too briskly — assez lent or lent is the better heading.

Example

Chausson, Serres chaudes, Op. 24, “Oraison”, voice and piano, m. 1: “Pas trop lent”, with mp in the voice.

Related Terms