Meaning & use
rallentando in music
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrasetechnicalmusic
A direction in written music telling the player to slow the tempo down gradually.
Grammar: Used as a performance instruction on a score; it is not normally used as an ordinary countable noun.
Patterns
- marked rallentando in music
- a rallentando in music before the final chord
The conductor asked for a rallentando in music that should feel like a gentle sigh.
In the last eight bars the composer writes a rallentando in music, then the piece simply stops.
Students often confuse a rallentando in music with a sudden stop, but the slowing here is gradual.
phrasefixed phrasetechnicalmusic
The gradual slowing of the speed of a piece, heard as a change in the music itself.
Grammar: Refers to the audible effect of the marking, not just the printed word; often used after 'a' or 'the'.
Patterns
- hear a rallentando in music
- the rallentando in music at the end
You can hear a clear rallentando in music as the orchestra approaches the closing bars.
Her recording is famous for the long rallentando in music near the end of the second movement.
phrasefixed phrasetechnicalmusic
A passage in a score where the tempo is directed to slacken.
Grammar: Countable when it points to a particular place in the score: 'a rallentando in music at bar 40'.
Patterns
- write a rallentando in music
- mark a rallentando in music at something
The editor added a rallentando in music at bar forty, which some conductors ignore.
He circled every rallentando in music in the score before the rehearsal.
Common combinations
- gradual rallentando in music
- The gradual rallentando in music made the ending feel calm rather than abrupt.
- marked rallentando in music
- The passage is marked rallentando in music, so keep the beat steady but let it widen.
- a rallentando in music at the end
- There is a rallentando in music at the end of the third movement.
- play a rallentando in music
- The strings play a rallentando in music while the soloist holds the final note.
- gradually slow with a rallentando in music
- The whole ensemble gradually slows with a rallentando in music over the last page.
- rallentando in music notation
- Rallentando in music notation is usually shortened to rall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ritardando
- Almost the same marking, but many musicians treat ritardando as a slightly more gradual, less deliberate holding back than rallentando.
- ritenuto
- This also means slower, but it usually signals a sudden drop in speed rather than a smooth slowing.
- slowing down
- A plain everyday description of the effect; it fits conversation, not a score, where the Italian term is expected.
- poco meno mosso
- A related tempo marking meaning a little less fast; it is a change of basic speed, not a gradual easing.
Opposites
Word family
- rallentando adverb
- The bare Italian term used on its own as a tempo marking.
- rall. abbreviation
- The short form printed in scores for rallentando.
- ritardando adverb
- A closely related tempo marking for slowing down.
Commonly confused: rallentando in music or ritardando? rallentando in music or accelerando?
rallentando in music vs ritardando
Both markings mean slower, but ritardando is often understood as a very smooth, drawn-out easing, while rallentando can suggest a more deliberate widening of the beat.
rallentando in music vs accelerando
This is the opposite direction: the music gets faster instead of slower, so the two are easy to mix up when reading a score quickly.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
A rallentando is a gradual slowing, so the music eases rather than stopping, speeding up, or getting louder. Option 1 fits the meaning; the others describe different musical effects.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rallentando in music”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.