Meaning & use
ritardando in music
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrasetechnicalmusic
A musical instruction to gradually slow the tempo, often shown by the word 'ritardando' or its abbreviation in a score.
Grammar: Used as a direction in written music; it is not a verb or noun in everyday speech.
Patterns
- marked ritardando in music
- a ritardando in music
The conductor asked the strings to play the final bars ritardando in music, easing the tempo down.
In the score, the composer wrote 'ritardando in music' above the last chord to signal a gradual slowing.
Students often confuse ritardando in music with a sudden stop, but it is a smooth decrease in speed.
Common combinations
- gradual ritardando
- The pianist added a gradual ritardando to heighten the emotional ending.
- marked ritardando
- The passage is marked ritardando, so the tempo must slow down smoothly.
- ritardando passage
- She practiced the ritardando passage until the slowing felt natural.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rallentando
- Similar meaning, but often implies a more gradual and sustained slowing than ritardando.
- slowing down
- Plain English equivalent; use it when not referring to written musical notation.
Opposites
Word family
- ritard noun
- Short form of ritardando, used in scores as an instruction.
Commonly confused: ritardando in music or accelerando?
ritardando in music vs accelerando
Accelerando means gradually getting faster, the opposite of ritardando.
Practice
What does 'ritardando in music' tell a performer to do?
Choose one answer.
'Ritardando' means a gradual slowing of tempo. 'Speed up gradually' is the opposite (accelerando), and 'pause completely' would be a fermata or a rest, not a ritardando.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ritardando in music”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.