Page:Essentials in Conducting.djvu/62

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ESSENTIALS IN CONDUCTING
The Very Slowest Tempo
larghissimo (superlative of largo)
adagissimo(superlative of adagio)
lentissimo (superlative of lento)

A Very Slow Tempo
largo (from Latin largus, meaning broad, large)
adagio (at ease)
lento (slow)

A Slow Tempo
larghetto (diminutive of largo)
adagietto (diminutive of adagio)

A Moderately Slow Tempo
andante (going or walking)
andantino (diminutive of andante and therefore meaning literally "going less," but because of a misconception of meaning now often understood as meaning slightly faster than andante)

A Moderate Tempo
moderato

A Moderately Rapid Tempo
allegro (cheerful)
allegretto (diminutive of allegro; a little slower than allegro)

A Very Rapid Tempo
con moto (with motion)
vivo (lively)
vivace (vivacious)
presto (quick)
presto assai (very quick)

The Most Rapid Tempo Possible
prestissimo (superlative of presto)
vivacissimo (superlative of vivace)
allegrissimo (superlative of allegro)
prestissimo possibile (hypersuperlative of presto)

The expressions given above are frequently used in combination with one another, and with certain auxiliary terms, but to attempt to define these combinations in