Ritardando

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff (between the staves in piano music) as rit., ritard. or the full word, often followed by a dashed line, or broken into syllables — ri - tar - dan - do — spread across the bars it covers. It is cancelled by a tempo, Tempo I or a new tempo word. rit. is ambiguous, since it also abbreviates ritenuto; context decides.

Abbreviations: rit., ritard., ritar., rit, ritard

Also spelled: ri - tar - dan - do

How Composers Use It

Use ritardando to signal the approach of a cadence, the end of a phrase, or a transition to a new section. The gradual slowing creates a sense of arrival. It is the most common tempo modification and one of the most powerful tools for shaping musical time.

Example

Schumann, Kreisleriana, Op. 16, No. 4, m. 3: “ritardando”, undone by “a tempo” in the next bar — a pattern this short “Sehr langsam” piece repeats several times.

Related Terms