tempo

tempo

tempo [Ital.,=time], in music, the speed of a composition. The composer's intentions as to tempo are conventionally indicated by a set of Italian terms, of which the principal ones are presto (very fast), vivace (lively), allegro (fast), moderato (moderate), andante (moderate, literally a "walking" tempo), adagio (slow), lento (slower than adagio ), and largo (very slow); accelerando (increasing the speed) and ritardando (slowing down) are directions to alter the tempo momentarily and are canceled by a tempo. Since Beethoven's time many composers have given metronomic indications, which, despite their seeming infallibility, are often misleading, and tempo remains a point of subjective interpretation. Acoustical factors influence the choice of a tempo but account less for the divergence between different performances than does the performer's interpretation of the work.

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"tempo." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"tempo." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-tempo.html

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tempo

tempo, tempi (It.). Time(s). The speed at which a piece of mus. is perf. The anglicized ‘tempos’ is an acceptable plural, like ‘concertos’. Among the many mus. terms containing the word are the following: a tempo, resume orig. speed; tempo a piacere, please yourself what speed; tempo comodo, at a comfortable or moderate speed; tempo di ballo, in dance time, or a movt. in dance style; tempo di gavotta, in gavotte tempo; tempo di minuetto, in minuet time; tempo giusto, in exact time, or at speed the style of the mus. demands; tempo maggiore, same as alla breve (take the half-note as your beat unit); tempo minore, tempo ordinario, ordinary time, moderate speed, same speed as before; tempo primo, resume orig. speed; tempo rubato, see rubato; tempo wie vorher (Ger.), same as tempo primo.

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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "tempo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "tempo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-tempo.html

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "tempo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-tempo.html

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tempo

tem·po / ˈtempō/ • n. (pl. -pos or -pi / -pē/ ) 1. Mus. the speed at which a passage of music is or should be played. 2. the rate or speed of motion or activity; pace: the tempo of life dictated by a heavy workload.

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"tempo." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"tempo." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-tempo.html

"tempo." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-tempo.html

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tempo

tempo Speed at which a piece of music should be performed, usually indicated on a score, in western music, by Italian words, such as allegro (fast) and adagio (slow).

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"tempo." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"tempo." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-tempo.html

"tempo." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-tempo.html

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Tempo

Tempo (An tIompú Deiseal) Fermanagh. Tempodessell 1622. ‘The right-hand turn’.

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A. D. MILLS. "Tempo." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

A. D. MILLS. "Tempo." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Tempo.html

A. D. MILLS. "Tempo." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Tempo.html

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tempo

tempo (mus.) relative speed or rate of movement. XVIII. — It. :- L. tempus time.

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T. F. HOAD. "tempo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "tempo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-tempo.html

T. F. HOAD. "tempo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-tempo.html

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tempo

tempo •capo • Gestapo •Aleppo, depot •downtempo, tempo, uptempo •Expo •cheapo, Ipoh, peep-bo, repo •hippo •hypo, typo •oppo, topo, troppo •compo • Limpopo

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"tempo." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"tempo." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-tempo.html

"tempo." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-tempo.html

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