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Adagio is the Italian word for \u2018slowly\u2019. It is written on musical scores to indicate the piece should be played at a slow, leisurely tempo. The speed at which a piece of music is played can have a huge impact on the overall feel or mood of the music, so composers need to take the tempo into consideration when relaying how they want their piece to be performed.<\/strong><\/p>\n Tempo is measured in beats per minute (BPM), with adagio having around 66-76 BPM (though some pieces labelled as adagio may be performed with slightly more or slightly fewer BPM).<\/p>\n The first movement of Beethoven\u2019s Moonlight Sonata<\/a><\/strong> is a famous example of an adagio tempo, but perhaps one of the best-known adagio pieces of classical music is Samuel Barber<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Adagio for Strings. The latter\u2019s slow tempo combined with its minor key creates a melancholy feel throughout the piece \u2013 it was even played at Albert Einstein\u2019s funeral. Barber\u2019s 20th<\/sup>-century classic would have a completely different feel if it had been composed with a faster tempo in mind.<\/p>\nHow slow is adagio?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Examples of adagio music<\/strong><\/h2>\n