A tempo

What it means

A tempo means return to the previous tempo, cancelling whatever temporary change preceded it. Practising this is easier with the free metronome. See the notation section for everything related.

It appears after a ritardando, an accelerando, a fermata, or any passage marked with a different speed.

Which tempo it means

Usually the tempo in force immediately before the change, and this is the source of most confusion.

If a movement is allegro, slows with a ritardando, and then reads a tempo, it returns to allegro.

If a movement is allegro, changes to a marked andante section, then has a ritardando within that section followed by a tempo, it returns to the andante, not the allegro.

The instruction cancels the most recent deviation, not everything since the start.

Where a composer wants a return to the original tempo of the movement, they typically write tempo primo or tempo I instead, which is unambiguous.

How immediate is the return

Immediate. A tempo means now, not gradually.

This is the point students most often get wrong. Coming back to tempo over two bars rather than at the marked beat softens what should be a clear resumption.

The exception is where the score indicates otherwise, such as poco a poco a tempo, gradually returning to tempo, which is occasionally written.

The challenge after a ritardando

Getting the tempo right.

After slowing, the original tempo must be re-established accurately. A player who has slowed substantially loses their internal sense of the previous speed and frequently returns to something faster or slower.

Two techniques help.

Internal subdivision through the ritardando. Continuing to feel the subdivision keeps a thread back to the original pulse.

Anchoring to a memory. Establishing the tempo firmly at the start of the movement so it can be recalled.

In ensemble, the conductor or leader re-establishes it and everyone follows.

After a fermata

A common context and a specific problem.

A fermata suspends the pulse entirely. After it, a tempo means resume, but the pulse has to be re-created from nothing.

The player, or the leader in an ensemble, gives a clear preparatory gesture or breath at the tempo, so the resumption is precise.

Without that, the first bars after a fermata are frequently unstable.

Related markings

Tempo primo, Tempo I, the original tempo of the movement. Unambiguous.

Tempo giusto, in strict time, indicating a return to a regular pulse after flexibility.

L'istesso tempo, the same tempo, used when the time signature changes but the underlying pulse should not.

Come prima, as before.

Tempo comodo, at a comfortable tempo, which is more a character instruction.

A tempo rubato, in flexible time, which is the opposite of a strict return.

L'istesso tempo specifically

Worth explaining because it confuses students.

If a piece changes from 2/4 to 6/8, l'istesso tempo tells the player that some element of the pulse stays constant, usually the beat or the subdivision.

Whether it is the beat or the subdivision that stays constant depends on the context, and a well-edited score usually clarifies with a metronome equivalence such as a quarter note equalling a dotted quarter.

Without that clarification the player must work it out from the music.

In an ensemble

A tempo markings are moments where an ensemble can fall apart, particularly after a ritardando or fermata.

Everyone must resume at the same speed at the same moment, and if the tempo is not clearly given, players guess differently.

Conductors give an unmistakable preparatory beat. In chamber music the leader breathes it.

Where you meet it

Constantly, wherever a tempo change is temporary.

Very common at phrase endings where a small ritardando is followed by a resumption.

Common after fermatas and after marked slower or faster sections.

How it is taught

Alongside ritardando and accelerando, since it is the marking that cancels them.

The lessons that matter: it means the tempo immediately before the change rather than the original tempo of the movement, and it is immediate rather than gradual.

The practical skill is holding the previous tempo in mind through a slowing, which subdivision supports.

Holding the previous tempo in mind

The skill a tempo actually requires.

After slowing through a ritardando, the original tempo has to be recalled accurately, and the slowing itself erodes the memory of it.

Two techniques.

Subdivide through the ritardando. Continuing to feel the smaller unit maintains a thread back to the original pulse.

Anchor the tempo physically. Some players tap a foot or feel the pulse in the body through the slowing, so the reference survives.

Without one of these, the resumed tempo is a guess, and it is usually faster than the original because the contrast with the slow makes anything feel quick.

After a fermata specifically

The hardest case, because the pulse has stopped entirely.

The resumption has to be created from nothing. Whoever leads gives a clear preparation at the intended tempo: a breath, a bow lift, a visible gesture.

Solo players do the same thing internally, establishing the pulse for a beat or two before playing.

Bars immediately after a fermata are among the least stable in most performances precisely because this step is skipped.

If you want to work on reading and notation with an instructor beside you, our studio runs private and group violin lessons across Buford, Duluth and Milton. Call 470-789-2422, or book a no-commitment evaluation lesson.