Glossary of musical terms/Tempo

tempo

the "speed" of the music. The tempo determines how many notes of a given value can be played in a given amount of time. Musical scores may include a tempo recommendation (usually in Italian), i.e.,

• Allegro
• Largo

or a more precise instruction, in the form of a particular note-value, i.e.

• = 120 (this would typically be interpreted as 120 half-notes in one minute)