Tempos: Feeling the Speed of Sound
The old saying, "Time is fleeting," may describe the way our individual lives can hurtle forward, but when it comes to tempo in music, time goes at whatever pace the composer, arranger or player chooses. Tempo is the speed of any musical composition, as set by the author of the piece, although sometimes modified by those who perform it. And it's crucial in setting a mood.
In general terms, the seven essentials of Western music are melody, harmony, rhythm, tone, form, texture and dynamics, with tempo being an element of rhythm. Although beat, meter and syncopation are significant to the rhythm of a piece, tempo is the most important of these aspects in terms of atmosphere. If a piece is moving slowly, it can feel more contemplative. If it rambles along at a middling pace, it's jauntier and more spirited. And if it's zipping along at a quick speed, it comes off as lively, intense and extroverted.
When a score is written out, a notation of the intended tempo is usually placed at the start of the transcription, often in beats-per-minute or BPM -- a designation very familiar to DJs. Although the BPM of any given modern music is meant to be precise, classical music is more poetic in establishing a mood through tempo by the use of specific words. Most of those words are in Italian – for instance, "Adagio" (slow); "Moderato" (moderately); "Allegro" (fast); and "Presto" (very fast). There are quite a few other gradations of tempo, and each of them can be associated with a general range of beats-per-minute. Some of the classical tempo designations are even more eloquent about the intended ambiance of a piece – such as "Pomposo" (dignified); "Scherzando" (playfully); and "Tenerezza" (tenderly) -- and are meant to be used in association with the more speed-oriented words.
Those who cover someone else’s composition may decide to change its original tempo, depending on the performer’s intent. Ultimately, the proper use of tempo can help to lead a listener to a particular emotional place or, in the case of dance music, to the physical realm and response intended by the composer.
