Tempo moderato

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff as a heading or at a section where a moderate tempo returns, sometimes with a reference such as “wie im ersten Teil” (as in the first part). It remains in force until the next tempo word; after a slowing, a Tempo moderato restores it.

How Composers Use It

Tempo moderato names a speed rather than a character: a middle tempo with no expressive colour attached. That makes it a useful reference point inside long movements, where a pace established earlier must be recognised and resumed. Choose it over a bare Moderato when the tempo itself, not the manner, is the point, and add a metronome mark if the middle ground needs fixing.

Example

Mahler, Symphony No. 5, second movement, flutes (“Vier Flöten.”), m. 214: “Tempo moderato.”, with “(wie im ersten Teil.)” in the same bar.

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