Ritardando

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

Nearly every Classical and Romantic movement ends with a ritardando into the final cadence — Beethoven's piano sonatas use rit. consistently before fermatas and double bars.

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