Lentando

Becoming slow

Lentando is the gerund of “lentare”, “to slow down”, and is related to “lento”, “slow”. What is meant is a gradual slowing down: the tempo is taken back little by little until a new mark changes it again. The word “slentando” means the same; some dictionaries list it as a form of its own, rarer, others simply refer from slentando to lentando.

Lentando and rallentando

Both words describe a slowing down. In the reference works rallentando is the more usual expression, lentando rarer. Anyone reading a passage marked “lentando” plays it essentially like a rallentando: the tempo slackens evenly. There is no clear difference in character. Some sources link lentando with getting softer at the same time, others name only the tempo; when in doubt the context decides.

Where you find it

Lentando appears at endings and transitions where a section comes to rest. As with all tempo marks it remains in effect until a new mark appears: an “a tempo” leads back to the previous tempo, “tempo primo” to the original tempo.

Common mistakes

• Getting slower too early: The slackening is spread evenly.
• Braking suddenly: Lentando is a gradual process.
• Forgetting to cancel the tempo change: After “lentando” an “a tempo” or a new mark follows at some point.