"Accelerando", an Italian term in music, translates to "increasing speed" or "getting faster" in English. It serves as a tempo instruction, signaling that the pace of the music should gradually quicken, resulting in a progressive acceleration.
"Accelerando" functions as a tempo guide for performers, directing them to smoothly escalate the tempo of the music. This notation is often abbreviated as "accel." on sheet music and is accompanied by a right-pointing arrow, visually denoting the tempo's ascent.
Upon encountering the "Accelerando" notation, musicians should embark on a gradual tempo increase, propelling the music toward a progressively faster tempo. This incremental uptick infuses the music with dynamic energy, introducing shifts in rhythm and creating a heightened sense of motion.
The tempo shift indicated by "Accelerando" should be a seamless transition, void of abruptness. Musicians should ensure a fluid shift that honors the composer's intent, maintaining a poised equilibrium between musicality and expressive delivery.
Interpreting "Accelerando" necessitates musicians to navigate a gradual tempo ascent, infusing the music with a renewed sense of momentum and variation. This alteration in tempo bestows vibrancy and allure to the music, as it continues to evolve at a measured pace.
Tempo Marking | bpm | Meaning |
Grave | 20 - 40 bpm | Slow and solemn |
Lento | 40 - 60 bpm | Slow |
Largo | 40 - 60 bpm | Slow and broad |
Larghetto | 60 - 66 bpm | Rather broadly |
Adagio | 66 - 76 bpm | Slow and stately |
Adagietto | 70 - 80 bpm | Slightly faster than adagio |
Andante | 72 - 76 bpm | Walking pace |
Andante moderato | 92 - 98 bpm | Moderate walking pace |
Moderato | 108 - 120 bpm | At a moderate tempo |
Allegretto | 112 - 120 bpm | Moderately fast |
Allegro moderato | 116 - 120 bpm | Moderately quick |
Allegro | 120 - 156 bpm | Fast and lively |
Vivace | 156 - 176 bpm | Fast and lively |
Allegro vivace | 172 - 176 bpm | Very fast and lively |
Presto | 168 - 200 bpm | Quickly |
Prestissimo | 200+ bpm | As fast as possible |
Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer, the predominant musical figure during the transition between the Classical to Romantic eras. He occupies an unprecedented dominance in the history of Western music history, and has been widely regarded as the greatest, most influential and most popular musician who ever lived.
Beethoven's music inherited the artistic atmosphere of Haydn and Mozart, penetrated the desire for dignity, vented the anger tortured by fate, and demonstrated his determination to fight with fate.
Compared to other musicians, Beethoven is effectively to interact the philosophy of life with audience through music. Although he was not a romantic, he had become the object followed by other romantics.
As a musician, Beethoven suffered from ear diseases. However, he was unwilling to succumb to fate, vowing to take fate by the throat, and continue to complete his career. In the last ten years of his life, without hearing any sound, his compositions influenced the development of music for nearly two hundred years.