tempi

Tempi is the plural of tempo, a term used in music to denote the speed at which a piece or section is performed. Derived from the Italian tempo meaning time or rate, tempi conveys the pace and sometimes the character of music. In scores, tempo is indicated at the outset and may change within a movement or across movements, resulting in distinct tempi. A tempo instruction can also appear as a tempo marking that returns to the original speed after a deviation.

Tempi are commonly described with Italian terms such as grave, adagio, andante, moderato, allegro, and presto, occasionally accompanied by metronome marks that specify exact beats per minute. The relationship between tempo and meter affects how a passage feels; the same BPM can produce different sensations in different time signatures. Composers use tempo changes to shape form and expression, employing terms like piu mosso (more motion), meno mosso (less motion), a tempo (return to the previous tempo), tempo primo (return to the first tempo), or tempo rubato (flexible tempo).

Historically, tempo practice has varied by era. Baroque and Classical music often used explicit markings and flexible pacing, while Romantic and modern music treat tempo as a broader expressive parameter. In performance, musicians balance metronomic precision with expressive rubato and, in ensembles, coordination provided by a conductor. In analysis, tempi may be discussed as the set of speeds across movements or sections, and as marks governing character and momentum.