Slow

As Printed on a Score

Printed as a tempo heading above the first system, alone or with a metronome mark (Slow, about 80), and again at later sections; it holds until the next tempo word. Twentieth-century English and American composers often use it in place of Lento or Adagio.

How Composers Use It

Slow is a broad category rather than a speed, and its meaning shifts with the metre and note values you write. Narrow it with a metronome figure or a character word (Slow and expressive). An English heading signals a deliberate choice of plain speech, so keep the piece’s other directions in English too, or the mixture will look accidental.

Example

Delius, Four Old English Lyrics, “To Daffodils”, voice, m. 1: “Slow” is the song’s whole tempo heading; at m. 23 it gives way to “becoming gradually quicker”.

Related Terms