Ritenuto
Immediately held back — unlike ritardando, which gradually becomes slower.
What it means
Ritenuto is the participle of ritenere, “to hold back,” and calls for an immediate pulling back of the tempo. From the first note after the marking it is played more slowly; there is no transition. Herein lies the decisive difference from ritardando and rallentando, which both mean a gradual slowing down.
The danger of confusion is great, because both words can be abbreviated as rit. Where the abbreviation stands, the context helps: a ritenuto usually concerns only a short turn or a few notes, a ritardando a whole stretch before the end of a section. Some editions write out riten. to secure the distinction.
Ritenuto differs from meno mosso in scope: there the tempo of a whole section is newly set, here a short moment is held back, after which the old tempo returns.
In the notation
The word or abbreviation stands in italics above the staff at the point from which it applies. A continuation line is usually absent, because the effect is short. Often a tempo follows soon after. If ritenuto stands over a single note or a small figure, only that is meant.
Musical use
The marking serves to bring something out: a goal note, a surprising harmony, a particular entrance receives weight by briefly halting time. It is widespread in the Lied and in the piano music of the nineteenth century, where it underlines a single word or a turn. It is also found before the entry of an important theme, so that the moment seems prepared.
It is often abbreviated as rit.
Performance practice
Pull the tempo back immediately, not gradually — whoever slows down gradually turns it into a ritardando. Decide beforehand how much slower and for how long, because the effect depends on the brevity. Take care that the sound stays full; the holding-back should give weight, not take away energy. And find your way back briskly into the old tempo afterward, even if no a tempo is notated.