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Adagio

A relaxed tempo term, roughly 66–76 beats per minute

TempoLargoAndante

Adagio marks a relaxed, unhurried tempo, usually around 66–76 beats per minute. It does not mean "very slow": the Adagio sostenuto of Beethoven's "Moonlight" is an extreme, while many Baroque Adagios are merely "not rushed". The word comes from Italian ad agio, "at ease".

Two Adagios can differ by a factor of two in actual speed — a tempo term describes character; the metronome describes numbers. Whether an Adagio is "right" is heard in its breathing, not read off a dial.

Read deeper → Tempo

Sources

  • 速度术语的性格含义与通行 BPM 区间，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Tempo and tempo marks" 与通行乐理教材；本文为原创表述

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