Tempo giusto
Encyclopedia
Tempo giusto is a musical term that means “in exact time,” often directing a return to strict time following a rubato
or to play in “strict time” or “suitable time”
directing the performer to return to the previous tempo before the change. However, the meaning of the direction is debated.
Some musical critics claim tempo giusto implies more than simply the absence of rubato—it has a positive musical meaning in its own right. Instead of translating the term to mean “strict time” it is translated as “right tempo” . Accordingly, tempo giusto is a musical term that describes the rate of a piece—the tempo at which it slips through the musician’s fingers. Thus, tempo giusto instructs the performer to play the piece in question at the “right speed.” “Right speed” has been understood by musical critics in one of two ways: the term has an objective and a subjective interpretation. Gail Godwin
, an American novelist, explains the objective interpretation by writing in her recent work Heart:
"The Italians have a musical notation not found in any other language: tempo giusto, 'the right tempo.' It means a steady, normal beat,
between 66 and 76 on the metronome. Tempo giusto is the appropriate beat of the human heart".
According to Godwin’s interpretation, “right” refers to an objective measure: the average rate of the human heart.
Critics following the subjective interpretation claim that the “rightness” of the tempo is a “rightness” garnered from the musician’s intuition. That is, a score which tells the musician to play the piece at the “right” tempo is telling the musician to use his intuition to figure out the tempo that the notes in the score imply. In this sense tempo giusto refers less to a specific numerical tempo than a rate that can only be induced on a case-by-case basis by examining the overall character of a composition. It is a speed the musician intuits from the structure and nature of the piece itself.
The artistic director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Maestro John DeMain has stated “[n]ow that I think about it the idea of tempo giusto [an Italian phrase that means the right or fitting tempo] describes just about everything I do or aspire to” .
Tempo rubato
Tempo rubato is a musical term referring to expressive and rhythmic freedom by a slight speeding up and then slowing down of the tempo of a piece at the discretion of the soloist or the conductor...
or to play in “strict time” or “suitable time”
General
The literal meaning of the direction is "in exact time". It commonly appears after a previous change in tempoTempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
directing the performer to return to the previous tempo before the change. However, the meaning of the direction is debated.
Some musical critics claim tempo giusto implies more than simply the absence of rubato—it has a positive musical meaning in its own right. Instead of translating the term to mean “strict time” it is translated as “right tempo” . Accordingly, tempo giusto is a musical term that describes the rate of a piece—the tempo at which it slips through the musician’s fingers. Thus, tempo giusto instructs the performer to play the piece in question at the “right speed.” “Right speed” has been understood by musical critics in one of two ways: the term has an objective and a subjective interpretation. Gail Godwin
Gail Godwin
Gail Kathleen Godwin is an American novelist and short story writer. She has published one non-fiction work, two collections of short stories, and eleven novels, three of which have been nominated for the National Book Award and five of which have made the New York Times Bestseller List.Godwin was...
, an American novelist, explains the objective interpretation by writing in her recent work Heart:
"The Italians have a musical notation not found in any other language: tempo giusto, 'the right tempo.' It means a steady, normal beat,
between 66 and 76 on the metronome. Tempo giusto is the appropriate beat of the human heart".
According to Godwin’s interpretation, “right” refers to an objective measure: the average rate of the human heart.
Critics following the subjective interpretation claim that the “rightness” of the tempo is a “rightness” garnered from the musician’s intuition. That is, a score which tells the musician to play the piece at the “right” tempo is telling the musician to use his intuition to figure out the tempo that the notes in the score imply. In this sense tempo giusto refers less to a specific numerical tempo than a rate that can only be induced on a case-by-case basis by examining the overall character of a composition. It is a speed the musician intuits from the structure and nature of the piece itself.
Life Movement
Although tempo giusto is only sparsely sprinkled through musical time, it has recently reemerged. The term has given rise to a whole life movement, which advises the modern world to stop plowing through life at breakneck speed, and to start living instead at the “right tempo”. Man is told to live in accordance with his own inner tempo.The artistic director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Maestro John DeMain has stated “[n]ow that I think about it the idea of tempo giusto [an Italian phrase that means the right or fitting tempo] describes just about everything I do or aspire to” .
See also
- Glossary of musical terminology
- TempoTempoIn musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...