Très modéré

As Printed on a Score

A tempo heading printed above the first system or at a new section and in force until the next tempo word; later changes (cédez un peu, très retenu, au Mouvt) are measured against it.

Also spelled: tres modere

How Composers Use It

Very moderate — calm and unhurried, slower than modéré; the French counterpart of molto moderato. Debussy uses it for some of his best-known openings, Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune and Syrinx among them, where a solo line needs time to unfold freely. The heading describes a manner more than a speed, so add a metronome mark if the pace matters.

Example

Debussy, Trois Chansons de France, “Rondel: Pour ce que Plaisance est morte”, voice and piano, m. 1: “Très modéré”, later shaded by “Cédez un peu” and “Très retenu”.

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