Poco rallentando

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as poco rall. or poco rallent., often with dashes, over the bars where the slight slowing happens; a tempo or a new tempo word follows it.

Abbreviations: poco rall., poco rallent.

How Composers Use It

A slight, gradual slowing, in practice interchangeable with poco ritardando; some players feel rallentando as a little more relaxed. Liszt uses it to ease the music into a new section, letting it settle before the next idea arrives. Choose one of the two words and use it consistently, and mark where the slowing ends.

Example

Liszt, Transcendental Étude No. 4 (“Mazeppa”), m. 118: “poco rallentando”, leading straight into “Animato.” with “leggiero” at mp in the next bar.

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