Adagio

Calm, not hesitant

On the page Tempo Adagio is given as “calm, slow”, on the page Tools as “leisurely, slow” with 66 to 76 beats per minute. The word therefore describes a character and a speed at once. The Tempo page points out that these Italian words are elastic and leave room to the performer.

According to the Tempo page, tempo intervenes directly in the bodily feeling, because we link it with heartbeat, breath and movement. Slow tempi sound calm, sustained, often solemn or heavy. The choice of tempo can therefore decide the character of a piece.

Adagio in the score

In the Maikstrings sheet music archive “Adagio” appears in three sheets. That shows the range of the marking: once as a plain “Adagio”, once with an addition (“sostenuto”, sustained) and once intensified as “Molto Adagio”.

Guitar

• Gitarrenschule, Stück Nr. 9 Johann Kaspar Mertz · from: Guitar-Skole · guitar · 1 page

  “Adagio” is printed in bold above the first system, the time signature is 4/4. There are chord symbols above the bars, the first two are Em and Am.

Piano

• Mondscheinsonate, 1. Satz Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata No. 14 in C♯ minor, op. 27 No. 2 · piano · 5 pages

  The marking here is “Adagio sostenuto”, so calm and sustained. It is printed in bold at the top left above the system and appears once more in the heading. Below it, in italics, is the instruction to play the whole piece “delicatissimamente e senza sordini”, so very delicately and without dampers.

Orchestra

• Sinfonie Nr. 9 e-Moll, “Aus der Neuen Welt” Antonín Dvořák · score · marking “Molto Adagio” on page 18 of the PDF

  On page 18 of the score “Molto Adagio” appears in bold above the flute part, shortly after “rit.” and “a tempo” have appeared. “Molto” means very: here it is to become even slower than in Adagio.

Practising slowly does not mean playing slowly

Practising a slow piece is sometimes harder than practising a fast one. The notes last longer, every inaccuracy in tone or rhythm is audible. The page Tools describes a technique that fits: set the click to half the working tempo and play two notes per click. The subdivision, according to the page, uncovers uneven sixteenth notes and rushed triplets that a single click on the one hides.

Common mistakes

• Reading Adagio as slow motion: The word means leisurely and calm. A piece that gets so slow that the connection is lost is not what is meant.
• Overlooking the additions: “Adagio sostenuto” and “Molto Adagio” are not the same as “Adagio”. Additions change character and speed.
• Taking the bpm number as an obligation: The range is a guide value. If a metronome number is given in the score, it takes precedence over the word.