How to read the chart
Tempo markings are the Italian words at the top of a score that tell the performer how fast — and in what spirit — to play. They were in use long before Maelzel’s metronome made exact beats per minute possible in 1815, which is why every term covers a range rather than a single number, and why different editions disagree at the edges. The BPM column above follows the most common modern convention; when a score also prints a metronome mark such as ♩ = 132, that number wins.
Composers rarely use the bare word. They qualify it with a modifier, and they change the tempo mid-piece with a second family of terms:
Modifiers
- molto — very (molto allegro)
- assai — very, quite (allegro assai)
- poco — a little (poco adagio)
- ma non troppo — but not too much (allegro ma non troppo)
- con moto — with movement
- con brio — with spirit
Changing tempo
- accelerando (accel.) — gradually faster
- ritardando (rit.) — gradually slower
- rallentando (rall.) — slowing down, broadening
- a tempo — back to the previous tempo
- tempo primo — back to the original tempo
- rubato — flexible, expressive timing
- fermata — hold the note longer than written
Tempo in popular music
Outside the concert hall nobody writes “Allegro” on a chart; producers and DJs speak in BPM. Even so, the same landmarks apply: ballads sit in Adagio–Andante territory (60–90), most pop, rock and hip-hop between 90 and 130 (Andante–Allegro), house and techno at 120–135, drum and bass at 170–180 (Presto). Because a groove can be felt in half or double time, a 170 BPM drum-and-bass track and an 85 BPM hip-hop beat can share the same kick pattern — which is why the tap tempo tool always shows both readings.
To hear what any of these ranges feels like, set the online metronome to the midpoint of a row, or convert a marking into delay times with the BPM calculator.