Tempo Explored (Junior Cert Music): Revision Notes
📚 Revision Notes
Tempo Explored
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Tempo is the speed or pace of a piece of music. When we talk about tempo, we are talking about how fast the pulse is.
- Tempo controls how fast or slow music is played.
- It affects the energy and mood of a piece. | Marking | Definition | |---|---| | Largo | Very slow | | Adagio | Slow | | Andante | Walking pace | | Moderato | Medium speed | | Allegro | Fast | | Presto | Very fast |
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Example: Fix You – Coldplay → Slow tempo builds emotional intensity.
Changes in Tempo
- Tempo is not fixed — it can change during a piece to make the music more interesting or expressive.
- Key terms:
- Accelerando – This means the music should gradually get faster. It builds excitement or energy as the tempo increases.
- Rallentando / Ritardando – These both mean the music should gradually slow down. This is often used at the end of a piece or phrase to create a relaxed or dramatic finish.
- Poco – This word means "a little". It's often added to other terms, like poco rallentando, meaning slow down a little.
- Molto – This means "a lot" or "very". For example, molto accelerando means to speed up a lot.
- A tempo – This tells the performer to go back to the original speed after a change. For example, if the music slowed down and then says a tempo, the player returns to how fast it was at the start.