What does rallentando mean?
Rallentando is an Italian musical term meaning “gradually slowing down.” It instructs performers to reduce the tempo smoothly over a passage, often producing an effect of relaxation, emotional reflection, or approaching stillness. The term is frequently printed in scores as rallentando, rall., or rallent. Unlike a sudden change of tempo, rallentando implies a gradual adjustment, so the music continues while becoming progressively slower. It is related in function to ritardando, although rallentando is especially associated with a clear, often continuous reduction in speed. The word is most often encountered in classical music, but the direction can also occur in contemporary, film, and popular music. In discussions of performance, it may imply expressive timing as well as literal tempo control.
adverbA musical direction indicating that the music should gradually become slower. It is commonly printed in scores as rallentando, rall., or rallent.
- A direction in music to play gradually more slowly.
"The closing theme enters with a striking rallentando, gradually losing momentum as the orchestra fades."
"The pianist followed the phrase with a delicate rallentando before the final cadence."
"The composer marked the second theme rallentando so that it would merge smoothly into the coda."
Rallentando is the musical equivalent of a runner easing into the final stretch: the speed decreases, but the motion continues.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rallentando come from?
The word comes from Italian rallentando, the gerund of rallentare, meaning “to slow down” or “make slower.” Its musical use developed within the Italian and broader European tradition of tempo directions. Related Italian forms include rallentare, rallentamento, and rallentazioni, which belong to the same verbal and noun family.
How rallentando is actually used
This is a specialized term used primarily in musical scores, concert programs, and discussions of musical performance. It is normally written in italics in prose, although its shortened forms may appear in printed scores.
Easily confused with rallentando
Both are Italian musical directions for slowing down, but rallentando usually emphasizes a gradual decrease in tempo, whereas ritardando can also be used more generally to indicate a ritardation in pace.