Andante

What it means

Andante is the participle of andare, “to walk”, and denotes a tempo that corresponds to a calm step. As a guide, around 76 to 108 beats per minute is frequently named; the span is wide, and depending on edition and era it is framed differently. What is decisive is the image of walking: there is a steady forward motion, but no haste.

Within the family of tempo words, Andante stands above Adagio and below Moderato. Historically it is not a slow tempo but a middling one — a point often overlooked, because Andante today usually appears as the heading of slow middle movements. From this also follows a well-known uncertainty: whether Andantino is faster or slower than Andante was answered differently in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, according to whether one classed Andante as slow or as moderate. Today Andantino counts predominantly as somewhat faster.

In the notation

The marking stands above the first system and frequently becomes the name of the movement. Additions such as cantabile, con moto or sostenuto make it precise and shift the tempo perceptibly — Andante con moto lies noticeably above a plain Andante. Metronome figures beside it often come from the editor.

Musical use

Andante is one of the most widespread headings for slow middle movements in sonatas, symphonies and concertos. There the movement carries songful themes and often works with variations or songlike forms. Because the tempo keeps a motion, it also suits striding characters such as funeral marches or movements with an even accompanying figure.

Performance practice

Think the tempo as walking and test it by that: if you can stride calmly to it without dragging or hurrying, it is usually right. Hold the beat even and shape within the phrase, instead of stretching the pulse. See that long notes sound to the end and do not give up before the next note. And read the addition exactly — it alters the tempo here more strongly than with most other tempo words.