Andante moderato
Walking, but somewhat more restrained than plain Andante.
What it means
Andante moderato joins the walking tempo of Andante with the moderation of moderato. What is meant is a walking pace taken somewhat more restrainedly than a plain Andante — the motion remains, but loses lightness and gains calm.
The phrase is not unambiguously fixed, and therein lies its difficulty. Because moderato taken on its own denotes a middling, that is rather brisk, tempo, the combination could also be read as a raising. In the prevailing practice, however, it is understood as a drawing-back, comparable to Andante ma non troppo. Whoever has before them an edition in which neighbouring movements also bear tempo words finds there the better measure than in any general rule.
From Andantino the marking differs in that the latter counts as a tempo level of its own and is today usually read as somewhat faster.
In the notation
Both words stand in italics above the first system and can become the movement’s name. Metronome figures beside them frequently come from the editor and are to be read as a guide; with compound tempo words in particular the editions diverge from one another.
Musical use
The designation stands in slow movements that are laid out songfully yet are to keep a clear basic motion, as well as in intermediate movements that mediate between a rapid and a really slow one. It is also widespread in choral and song literature, because it denotes a tempo in which text can be sung with good intelligibility.
Performance practice
Determine the tempo by way of the text or the melody: it should be possible to think the longest line in one arc without the motion standing still. See that the drawing-back against an Andante is audible but does not tip into an Adagio. Keep the accompaniment lean and regular, so that the moderation does not seem heavy. And settle the tempo inwardly before the first note — compound tempo words tempt one to waver as the piece goes on.