lento

Lento is a tempo marking used in music to indicate a slow pace. The term comes from Italian, where lento means slow. In scores, it guides performers about the speed of a passage and is typically slower in character than many other common markings, though exact tempo can vary by era, composer, and interpretation. Because tempo is subjective and expressive, there is no fixed beats-per-minute value universally assigned to lento.

In practice, lento is often paired with other expressive markings to shape mood and texture, such as dolce (sweetly) or cantabile (in a singing manner). Common musical phrases include combinations like "Lento e maestoso" or "Lento, tranquillo," which convey a reflective, solemn, or lyrical character. Lento appears across a broad range of repertoire, from Baroque to contemporary music, and remains a flexible tool for shaping musical narrative.

The word lento also exists outside of music as a general Italian adjective meaning slow. In everyday usage, it retains this meaning in various languages that borrow Italian tempo terms. In addition, lento is a surname of Italian origin, found in different regions and carried by individuals in diverse professions. While most references to lento in cultural contexts point to its musical sense, the term’s broader linguistic roots reflect its meaning of slowness.