Con moto

Motion as colouring

“Con moto” does not appear on the tempo pages of Maikstrings. But the page Tempo describes what such additions do: Italian terms name not only the speed but often a character as well, and they are elastic. Andante is “walking, at an easy pace” with 76 to 108 bpm (page Tools), “con moto” gives this walking mobility. The page Mosso shows the related marking “Andante mosso”.

Con moto in the score

Three sheets from the archive show the word family with “moto”. According to a text search the choral piece “The Storm” also carries “Con moto.” above the first system.

Voice and piano

• Als die alte Mutter Antonín Dvořák, op. 55 No. 4 · voice and piano, with chords for guitar · 3 pages

  “Andante con moto.” in bold above the first system, 6/8 (2/4 from the third line), two sharps, beginning with mf, chords A7 and Bm.

• Wiegenlied Johannes Brahms, op. 49 No. 4 · voice and piano · 1 page

  Above the vocal line “Zart bewegt” (tenderly moving), in the piano in italics “Teneramente, con moto”, 3/4, three flats in the key signature.

Piano

• Für Elise Ludwig van Beethoven, WoO 59 · piano · 3 pages

  “Poco moto.” in bold above the first system, 3/8, upbeat E–D♯, pp.

In Brahms “con moto” is added to a performance marking (“Teneramente”, tenderly), in Beethoven as “Poco moto”, a little moving. The additions make clear that it is about character, not about a number.

Common mistakes

• Reading con moto as a fast number: It colours, it fixes no bpm.
• Equating it with mosso: The words are related. “Mosso” is a tempo marking in its own right, “con moto” an addition.
• Getting too fast: Motion does not mean hurrying.