Un peu plus lent

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff at the bar where the slightly slower tempo begins, often prepared by cédez, retenez or en retenant just before it. It lasts until the next tempo word — au Mouvt, Tempo I, Reprenez le mouvement — and further steps are marked encore plus lent or plus lent.

How Composers Use It

The French poco più lento, one of the most frequent tempo shadings in Debussy, Ravel and Chausson. It asks for a new, steady tempo slightly below the old one, not a ritardando. Use it to let a phrase or a new idea breathe without starting a new section, and mark the return clearly. Chausson sometimes adds en retenant a bar after the new tempo, so that it keeps easing.

Example

Chausson, Sept Mélodies, Op. 2, “Le Charme”, voice and piano, m. 5: “un peu plus lent”, followed at m. 6 by “en retenant”, in a song headed “Moderato con moto”.

Related Terms