Wieder

As Printed on a Score

Marks a return: wieder bewegt, Wieder äusserst langsam, wieder im Zeitmass, nehmen wieder grosse Flöten. It points back to an earlier tempo, character or instrument, so the reader must find what came before; it lasts until the next change. Allmählich wieder makes the return gradual.

How Composers Use It

Use it to tie a section to one heard earlier, which helps players hear the form: Wieder langsam tells them the slow music is coming back, not that a new tempo begins. When the earlier speed matters exactly, name it (Tempo I, Wie zu Anfang) or repeat the metronome mark; for a gradual return, allmählich wieder or unmerklich zu Tempo I shapes the transition.

Example

Mahler, Symphony No. 5, fourth movement (Adagietto), harp, m. 23: “Wieder äusserst langsam.” follows a rit. two bars earlier, at pp, in a movement headed “Sehr langsam.”

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