Lentissimo

What it means

Lentissimo is the superlative form of lento. The ending -issimo intensifies the base word, so what is meant is an extremely slow tempo. A number can hardly be given for it; the word designates a relation — slower than lento — and leaves the exact measure to the performer.

Unlike the related superlatives, lentissimo stresses slowness itself. Larghissimo additionally means the breadth and expanse of the sound, adagissimo the calm, leisurely bearing contained in the base word adagio. Of these three, lentissimo is the most matter-of-fact: slow, without further colouring. The marking is rare; more often paraphrases such as molto lento are found.

In the notation

The word stands above the first staff of a movement or section. Because the marking is unusual, some editions add a metronome number; it then usually comes from the editor and is to be read as a guideline. At such slow tempos it is also decisive which note value the number refers to — a point handled differently in different editions.

Musical use

The designation is used where the music is to be led to the edge of standstill: in music of lament, in closing sections that fade away, and in sections that depict a state rather than a movement. In twentieth-century music it occasionally stands over movements whose effect arises precisely from the extreme stretching.

The marking is rare and usually stands in short sections, for instance at the end of a slow movement.

Performance practice

Choose a smaller counting unit than the time signature suggests, and keep to it; at very slow tempos this is the only way to stay together. Check beforehand whether breath, bow, or pedal suffice for the longest notes, and plan the changes at inconspicuous points. Carry the sound across the entire note duration, instead of merely setting it going. And watch the intonation: here the listener has time to examine every note, and deviations stand out immediately.