Come prima
As before, as at the start.
What it means
Come prima, Italian for “as at first,” is a performance instruction asking the player to return to an earlier way of playing: the tempo, dynamics, and general character of a passage heard earlier. It usually follows a section that departed from that character, such as after a ritardando, an acceleration, or a dynamic build-up.
Musical use
Come prima often appears at the end of interludes or after freer, rubato-inflected passages, signalling to the performer that the original shaping should apply again. Unlike Tempo primo, which refers only to returning to the initial tempo, come prima also covers tone color, dynamics, and expression as a whole.
Come prima should also be distinguished from Da capo, which prescribes a complete repeat of an entire section from the beginning: come prima instead means resuming a manner of performance within the ongoing musical flow, without any notes being repeated.
Performance practice
When you meet come prima, consciously recall the sound and shape of the earlier passage it refers to, rather than simply falling back into the basic tempo. Pay particular attention to phrasing and touch, so the passage genuinely feels like a return rather than just satisfying a tempo marking.