Meaning & use
meno mosso
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrasemusictechnical
An instruction in a musical score to play less quickly than the section just before, literally 'less moved' in Italian.
Grammar: Written above the staff at the point where the change starts; it is a relative, not exact, tempo.
Patterns
- play meno mosso
- a meno mosso passage
At bar 40 the composer wrote meno mosso, so the violins eased back.
The conductor held the orchestra to a clear meno mosso for the lyrical theme.
Pianists often rush the meno mosso section, but it needs space.
Common combinations
- marked meno mosso
- The second theme is marked meno mosso.
- meno mosso section
- The meno mosso section feels calm after the storm.
- slow to meno mosso
- Be sure to slow to meno mosso before the choir enters.
- return from meno mosso
- The piece returns from meno mosso to the original speed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rallentando
- Rallentando asks for a gradual slowing, whereas meno mosso is a change to a slower tempo that then continues.
- ritardando
- Ritardando is also a gradual slowing down, while meno mosso sets a new, slower pace straight away.
- più lento
- Più lento means more slowly in an absolute sense, while meno mosso is a relative, softer adjustment.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: meno mosso or moderato?
meno mosso vs moderato
Moderato is a fixed moderate tempo, but meno mosso is only a change relative to what came before.
Practice
What does 'meno mosso' tell a performer to do?
Choose one answer.
Meno mosso means less moved, so the music slows relative to the previous section. 'Più mosso' would be the one to speed up.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “meno mosso”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.