Tempo words in music: what largo, andante, allegro, and presto mean

Tempo is the speed of the beat in a piece of music. Composers mark it with a word at the top of the page, most often in Italian. Largo is slow and broad. Adagio is slow. Andante is a walking pace. Moderato is a medium speed. Allegro is fast and bright. Presto is faster than allegro.

Moving to each one is a quick way for a child to learn them.

The six words to learn first

The beat counts below are the ranges used by the metronome for kids on this site. Treat them as a rough guide. Metronomes and books do not agree on the exact numbers, and a tempo word describes a mood as well as a speed.

Word	Meaning	Beats in a minute
Largo	Slow and broad	40 to 59
Adagio	Slow and calm	60 to 75
Andante	At a walking speed	76 to 107
Moderato	At a medium speed	108 to 119
Allegro	Fast and bright	120 to 167
Presto	Faster than allegro	168 to 208

In Italian, andante comes from the verb for walking, and allegro is the word for cheerful.

A piece to hear for each speed

Largo. The second movement of Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” An English horn plays a long, slow tune.

Adagio. The first movement of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata for piano. The left hand holds low notes while the right hand ripples above.

Andante. The second movement of Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony. The strings step along at an easy walk, and then one loud chord arrives.

Allegro. The first movement of Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik. The strings leap up with a tune many adults know.

Presto. The last movement of “Summer” from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. The violins race through a storm.

Play the first minute of each one, in order from slowest to fastest. Then mix them up and ask your child which word fits.

More words on the page

Larghetto. A little faster than largo.

Allegretto. A little slower than allegro.

Vivace. Lively. It sits between allegro and presto.

Prestissimo. As fast as the player can go.

Accelerando. Speed up, bit by bit. It is often shortened to accel.

Ritardando. Slow down, bit by bit. It is often shortened to rit.

A tempo. Go back to the speed from before.

Fermata. A sign shaped like an arc over a dot. It tells the player to hold the note longer than its value.

Why the words are Italian

Italian composers were among the first to write tempo words into their music, in the 1600s. Musicians across Europe took up the habit, and the words stuck.

Not every composer kept to Italian. Some later composers wrote the same kinds of directions in German, French, or English.

Where the metronome fits in

A tempo word leaves room for choice. A metronome number does not. The metronome was patented in 1815 by Johann Maelzel, and Beethoven was one of the first well-known composers to add its numbers to his scores.

A mark such as “quarter note = 120” means 120 quarter-note beats in one minute. That is two beats each second.

When a teacher writes a number in the practice notebook, set the metronome to it. A common way to learn a hard passage is to start at a slower number and move up a few clicks at a time.

Games to play at home

The tempo walk. Say a tempo word and have your child cross the room at that speed. Largo is a slow, heavy walk. Andante is a stroll. Presto is as fast as tiptoes can go.

Conductor. One person holds up a card from the tempo and dynamics word cards. Everyone else claps or sings a known song at that speed. Change cards partway through the song.

Guess the number. Start the metronome with the screen hidden. Ask your child to name the tempo word. Then check.

Speed it up. Sing a short song at largo. Sing it again at each faster word until it falls apart.

Tempo is one of two sets of Italian words a beginner meets. The other covers loud and soft, in dynamics in music explained for kids. The full list of ideas is in music theory for parents.