"Lento", originating from the Italian language, translates to "slow" or "slowly" in English. In the realm of music, it serves as a tempo marking that instructs performers to execute a passage at a deliberate and leisurely pace. It is usually played at a tempo of 40 to 60 beats per minute.
"Lento" functions as a tempo indication, offering guidance on the tempo and mood of a musical composition. It signifies that the music should be played at a slow tempo, resulting in a measured and unhurried rhythm. This notation is often represented on sheet music as the word "lento" or the indication "slowly".
Upon encountering the "Lento" marking, musicians are directed to perform at a reduced pace, affording each note the time it requires to resonate fully. This tempo choice imparts a sense of tranquility, contemplation, and serenity to the music. "Lento" passages are frequently employed to evoke emotions of introspection, beauty, and calmness.
Composers employ "Lento" to guide performers in capturing a specific emotional quality within the music. The leisurely pace facilitates the exploration of nuanced expressions and emotional profundity in every note. The sustained duration of the notes contributes to an overall atmosphere of peaceful reflection.
Interpreting "Lento" demands performers to maintain a consistent and controlled tempo while allowing for expressive phrasing and emotional resonance. Striking a balance between the unhurried tempo and preserving the flow of the music is of paramount importance.
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.