Tempo markings and BPM: what Allegro, Andante, and Moderato mean
The speed of a piece is written at the top of the first page, either as an Italian word such as Allegro, as a metronome mark such as ♩ = 120, or both. This page lists the common words with their usual BPM and explains how to turn any marking into a number you can set on a metronome or in a player.
BPM and metronome marks
BPM (beats per minute) is the number of beats in one minute. ♩ = 60 means sixty quarter notes per minute, one per second; ♩ = 120 is twice as fast. Older editions write M.M. ♩ = 60, after Maelzel's metronome, and ♩ = c. 60 (circa) means "about 60".
From the BPM you can work out how long the music lasts: one beat is 60 ÷ BPM seconds, and a 4/4 measure is four beats.
| Tempo | One beat | One 4/4 measure | 32 measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| ♩ = 60 | 1 s | 4 s | 2 min 8 s |
| ♩ = 80 | 0.8 s | 3 s | 1 min 36 s |
| ♩ = 100 | 0.6 s | 2.4 s | 1 min 17 s |
| ♩ = 120 | 0.5 s | 2 s | 1 min 4 s |
| ♩ = 144 | 0.4 s | 1.7 s | 53.3 s |
Lengths at a few tempos (4/4, played straight through without repeats).
Tempo markings chart
The words describe a character as much as a speed, so the numbers are only a guide. The ranges below are a commonly quoted summary, but published tables disagree, sometimes widely: many mechanical metronomes mark Allegro as 120–168, and some textbooks give much lower figures. The same word is also taken faster or slower depending on the period, the composer, and the piece. "This app" is the tempo the app uses when it finds only the word on the page.
| Marking | Usual BPM | This app | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grave | 25–45 | 40 | very slow, solemn |
| Largo | 40–60 | 50 | slow and broad |
| Lento | 45–60 | 55 | slow |
| Larghetto | 60–66 | 63 | rather slow (a little faster than largo) |
| Adagio | 66–76 | 70 | slow, at ease |
| Adagietto | 72–76 | 75 | a little faster than adagio |
| Andante | 76–108 | 80 | at a walking pace |
| Andantino | 80–108 | 88 | a little faster than andante (usually) |
| Moderato | 108–120 | 108 | at a moderate speed |
| Allegretto | 112–120 | 112 | moderately fast |
| Allegro | 120–156 | 132 | fast, lively |
| Vivace | 156–176 | 160 | lively and fast |
| Vivacissimo | 172–176 | 172 | very lively |
| Presto | 168–200 | 180 | very fast |
| Prestissimo | 200+ | 200 | as fast as possible |
From slowest to fastest. A second word qualifies the first: Allegro moderato is a moderate (somewhat held-back) allegro.
When the beat is not a quarter note
A metronome mark counts whatever note is shown before the equals sign. In 6/8 the beat is usually a dotted quarter, and in 2/2 (cut time) it is a half note. To compare tempos, or to set a player that counts quarter notes, multiply by the length of the beat in quarter notes.
| On the page | Multiply | Enter in the app | Beat unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| ♪ = 120 | × 0.5 | ♩ = 60 | eighth note |
| ♩. = 60 | × 1.5 | ♩ = 90 | dotted quarter (6/8, 9/8, 12/8) |
| half note = 60 | × 2 | ♩ = 120 | half note (2/2, cut time) |
| dotted half = 50 | × 3 | ♩ = 150 | dotted half (fast 3/4, one beat per measure) |
A dotted note is 1.5 times the plain note: a dotted quarter is 1.5 quarter notes.
Words that modify or change the tempo
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| molto, assai | very (Allegro molto: very fast) |
| poco, un poco | a little |
| ma non troppo | but not too much (Allegro ma non troppo) |
| con moto | with motion, a little faster (Andante con moto) |
| più mosso / meno mosso | faster / slower than before, from here on |
| ritardando (rit., ritard.), rallentando (rall.) | gradually slower |
| accelerando (accel.) | gradually faster |
| a tempo, Tempo I (primo) | back to the tempo before the change / the first tempo |
| rubato | freely, stretching and pressing the time |
| fermata | hold this note or rest longer than written |
How this app sets the tempo
When you open a photo or PDF, the app looks at the top part of the first page for a metronome mark (the number after =) and uses it. If there is none, it looks for one of the words in the chart and uses the value in the "This app" column. If it finds neither, it plays at ♩ = 120. You can change the tempo at any time with −5 / +5, by typing a number, or with the slider (20–300).
- The number is always used as quarter notes per minute. For
♩. = 60or a half-note beat, enter the converted value from the table above. - The whole piece is played at one tempo. Changes later in the piece (rit., a new tempo, fermatas) are not followed; change the tempo by hand while it plays if you need to.
- A MusicXML file opens at the tempo written in it.
The tempo is read with text recognition, so a marking in an unusual font, or a photo that is blurred or dark, may be missed. See how to photograph sheet music and the guide.