Retenez

As Printed on a Score

An imperative printed above the staff where the holding back begins (Retenez, retenez encore); Satie prints the infinitive retenir. It eases the tempo, often into a new and slower tempo word in the next bar, and lasts until that word or an a tempo takes over.

Also spelled: retenir

How Composers Use It

Hold back: an instruction to start slowing, usually leading into something — a new tempo, a cadence, a final chord. Ravel uses it twice in Ondine to lead into successively slower tempos. Compare retenu, the held-back state itself, and cédez, which yields more gently. Say where the slowing should land, or retenez can stretch indefinitely.

Example

Ravel, Gaspard de la nuit, “Ondine”, piano, m. 64: “Retenez”, leading into “Un peu plus lent” at ff in the next bar.

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