#028. Basics of Reading Sheet Music 3: "Tempo Markings"

I am currently explaining the "basics of reading sheet music" in several parts. The previous installment was about the "relationship between tempo and time signatures." Since this is a series, please be sure to check out the past articles as well.

And this time, I will focus on the topic of "tempo markings."

Tempo markings are located above the staff

Sheet music has several "(fundamental) conventions," and symbols related to tempo (speed) are, in principle, written above the staff. Even if you didn't know this, you might have subconsciously felt that way when looking at sheet music. By the way, what is written below the staff is almost always "expression markings," which relate to the musical character.

However, perhaps ignoring the principles of music engraving or simply not knowing them, tempo symbols are sometimes written below the staff. When that happens, it becomes very difficult to read, and it can affect actual performance, such as causing you to overlook them.

Therefore, it is important to assume that anything written above the staff is "saying something about the tempo" (of course, this is not always the case, as instruction symbols like Mute can also be written above the staff).

Metronome mark

The "note = number" written in the top left is called a "metronome mark." This means "how many times to count the target note value per minute." For example, in the case of the sheet music above, the target note is a quarter note, so it counts the quarter note 60 times per minute, which means "1 second = 1 beat (one quarter note)." Therefore,

In this case, it is 2 counts per second. If it is a clean number like 60 or 120, you can tell immediately by looking at the second hand of a clock, but for example,

How about this? There may not be many people who can tell exactly at a glance. A metronome is useful at times like that. If you set the metronome to 92 and play it, you will understand immediately.

By the way, regarding the time signature explained in the previous article, in most cases, the "standard note value" which is the denominator of the time signature is the same as the target note value written in the metronome mark (however, compound time signatures are an exception because there are two ways to interpret them. see previous article).

M.M.

This "M.M." symbol seen in older sheet music stands for "Metronome Mälzel," referring to the metronome of Mr. Mälzel, who held the patent for the metronome. There is no particular difference whether it is written or not.

ca.

This is also often attached to the number in a metronome mark (it can also be written before the number).

This is an abbreviation read as "circa," meaning "about" or "approximately." It is used when the composer or arranger thinks that it does not actually need to be that strict, since metronome marks are meant to indicate an absolute value. There are also ways to indicate it as a range like " = 120–132" or as "≒."

BPM

This is an abbreviation for "Beats Per Minute," and since it means how many clicks there are per minute, it is ultimately the same interpretation as a metronome mark. However, since the standard note value is not known from BPM like it is with a metronome mark, it tends to be used colloquially as a sense of speed or for equipment settings rather than being written on sheet music. In so-called classical music, it is not used much because sheet music is often written in various time signatures.

On the other hand, when arranging music, I sometimes use an app called a BPM counter when I want to check "how fast is this tempo?" By tapping continuously, you can measure the tempo to some extent. Please look up such apps.

The metronome is a tool for knowing the tempo

I often see people practicing pieces while playing a metronome endlessly, but if you do that, you won't be able to prepare for your breath timing. Furthermore, it makes it difficult to incorporate the musical nuances of tempo fluctuations known as "agogics," which often leads to a mechanical and flat performance. Therefore, you should avoid practicing long phrases or, even worse, playing through an entire piece with a metronome.
On the other hand, practicing with a metronome can be efficient for repetitive practice of narrow sections, such as fingering exercises.

It is better to position the metronome not as a tool for practicing a piece in time with its rhythm, but rather as a "tool to be used before playing to grasp what the tempo is."

Tempo markings in text

It is also very common for sheet music to indicate tempo using text like this.

Understanding the meaning behind the words

However, in the case of text, because you don't have an absolute tempo like you do with a metronome, it becomes important to understand what kind of image the composer had for the work, and what kind of image the performer themselves holds. And the most important thing about tempo markings in text is,"the meaning contained within those words."By the way, if you look at a metronome, it is not uncommon for it to list what numerical values the text tempo markings correspond to, but this is merely a reference and does not mean you must strictly stay within that range.

Now, let's look at a few examples.

Allegro

Allegro. Used for a relatively fast tempo. The meaning contained within it is something like "lively." We don't really use the word "kaikatsu" (lively) in daily life, do we? To put it simply, I think the nuance of "energetic" is fine.

Andante

Andante. It seems to have meanings like "ordinary" or "unpretentious (in personality)," but in music, it is often interpreted as "at a walking pace." However, it is not a hurried or rushed walk, but rather a "walk" with the relaxed, calm nuance of a stroll or wandering about.

This is subjective, but my impression of the Andante works I have encountered so far is that many of them are very gentle and warm, yet still possess a sense of forward-moving momentum.

Lento and Largo

Lento carries the meaning of "sluggish" or "slow," while Largo has the meaning of "relaxed (in spirit)" or "broad."

Both are used for slow tempos, but can you imagine the difference? When it comes to this, I believe it is a world of expression that can no longer be settled by metronome numbers, or even by the topic of "tempo" alone.

Moderato

Moderato. In music theory books, it is often written as "at a moderate speed," but don't you think, "What is 'moderate'?" It is true that Moderato can be said to be the central axis of text tempo markings, classifying what is fast and what is slow, but the meaning contained in this word is still important. It means "moderate" or "restraint." In short, "don't overdo it" or "don't be excessive." If we interpret it more loosely, we might say this:"Respect the image the composer had, which is considered most optimal for that piece."Shall we call it the flavor of the raw ingredients? It's like saying, don't prioritize your own image and change the work here and there, but perform it at a natural tempo.

Also, Moderato has the meaning of "calmness." Therefore, although it is said to be a medium speed, I personally feel that it is a word that gives more of a slow impression.

What do you think? Tempo markings in text are deep and interesting, aren't they? There are many other text tempo markings written at the beginning of sheet music.

Furthermore, terms that can each serve as tempo markings on their own, such as "Allegro moderato" or "Allegro vivace," can also be combined.

In this case, please consider that the term written first governs the meaning of the tempo, while the subsequent words add meaning to it. Therefore, since this is no longer about a specific speed but rather about understanding the meaning embedded in the words, it is essential to look up any terms you do not know, understand them, and solidify your interpretation.

Musical terms that influence tempo

There are also musical terms that are not written as tempo markings but can (in some cases) end up affecting the tempo. I will introduce a few of them.

sostenuto

Sostenuto. In terms of meaning, it is a broader version of tenuto. You can think of it as 'everything from here on is tenuto,' but depending on the situation, the tempo may drop slightly (dropping the tempo may lead to a better expression).

maestoso

Maestoso. This is a musical term often used for majestic, heavy, and noble grand scenes. Since it calls for a dignified performance, the tempo may drop.

While these expressive markings are sometimes written in italics below the staff, if the composer intends for them to influence the tempo, they are often written in bold or large letters (not italics) above the staff. In such cases, it is highly likely that a tempo change is intended, so be sure to visualize a tempo that takes this into account before you begin playing.

Understanding relative changes in speed

There are also many musical terms that indicate a change such as 'more than before.' To understand them, I will first introduce two important words.

più and meno

più means 'more,' so it has the power to strengthen the word it accompanies.

meno means 'less,' so it has the power to weaken the word it accompanies.

These terms, più and meno, are often used as trick questions in music theory exams at music colleges, so at the time, I remembered them with the image of 'più as plus (+)' and 'meno as minus (-)' (please note that this is different from their actual meanings).

Also, there is a musical term called 'mosso.' This is often interpreted as 'lively' or 'with movement,' and if this word appears alone, the tempo becomes faster. Therefore,

If 'più mosso' is written, the tempo becomes faster, but on the other hand, if 'meno mosso' is written, it means 'less movement,' and as a result, the tempo becomes slower.

più + words related to speed

When più is attached to a musical term that slows down the tempo, it strengthens it, so for example,

in cases like 'più largo' or 'più adagio,' the tempo becomes slower than before. However, in the case of 'più allegro,' since allegro itself contains the meaning of a fast tempo, it becomes an even faster tempo to emphasize it.

meno + words related to speed

This means that when "meno" is added, the meaning of the word is weakened, so for example,

in the case of "meno allegro," the tempo becomes slower than it was before.

If it is added to a word with a slow tempo meaning, such as "meno lento," the tempo becomes faster than it was before.

Do you understand? It is a bit complicated, isn't it?

Tempo markings that change gradually

"rit." and "accel.". Since they appear very frequently, I think many of you are already familiar with them.

By the way, can you read these words correctly? Many people call them "rit" and "accel," and if you can communicate them verbally, that is fine, but if there is a "." at the end of the text, it is an abbreviation, so it is actually longer. To be precise, they are read as "ritardando" and "accelerando".

The meanings are: rit. means "gradually slower," and accel. means "gradually faster." I would like to write about these in more detail in the future, but performances like "I slowed down because it said rit., so what?" are not musical. It is important to perform while imagining "why is rit. written?", "what is the composer's image?", and "how does the music change as a result of the rit.?"

Beware of ritenuto!

Are you familiar with the musical term "ritenuto"? Since it is written as "riten." when abbreviated, it is easy to confuse it visually with "rit.," but the meaning of riten. is "immediately slower", so the performance interpretation is completely different from rit. If you perform in an ensemble without knowing that, you might end up rushing ahead of everyone else and feeling embarrassed. Furthermore, if you perform like that, it is as if you are claiming, "I am performing without looking up musical terms! = I haven't read the score." Reading sheet music means understanding all the information there, deciding how you will (for the time being) perform it, and expressing that as much as possible.

People who only focus on the sequence of notes when performing tend to leave the tempo up to the metronome, the conductor, or other players, which is not good at all. Please make sure to always understand the words written on the sheet music when you perform.

Tempo is something you create yourself

People who answer "the person who decides the tempo" when asked "what is the role of a conductor?" are often the ones who end up with an unstable tempo because they focus too much on the baton during an ensemble.

As I said before, it is important to decide the tempo yourself beforehand rather than having it dictated by someone else. You should grasp a tempo image that you are satisfied with first, such as thinking this tempo is appropriate for this piece (or scene), or that this tempo is beautiful because it says Andante.

And it does not matter if the result is different from the conductor's tempo. The conductor is also expressing the tempo they envision, and in an ensemble, the players respect the conductor's tempo.

You must never ignore the conductor and perform on your own, thinking "No, my tempo is better!," as that will disrupt the ensemble. The work created by the tempo generated by the conductor is "that piece at that moment."

By doing so, you can experience that there are many ways to express the same piece, and you can have a richer imagination. Do not just be captivated by the sequence of notes; use the various information written on the sheet music to play wonderful (provisional) music in your heart and mind.

Akira Ogiwara