Weniger

As Printed on a Score

Appears inside comparative directions — Etwas weniger schnell, weniger stark — and, like the comparatives it forms, is measured against the music just before it; it lasts until the next tempo or dynamic word. It is rarer than the plain comparatives (langsamer, leiser) that usually do the same job.

How Composers Use It

Weniger schnell is not quite langsamer: it keeps the sense that the music is still fast, only less so, which suits a slight easing inside a quick section. Use it when the quality itself must remain — still fast, still loud — and only its degree drops; when the character changes, choose a new tempo word instead. It is the German meno.

Example

Mahler, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, No. 3, “Ich hab’ ein glühend Messer”, voice, m. 64: “Etwas weniger schnell”, two bars after “Sehr schnell” — still fast, only less so.

Related Terms