Tempo Markings Chart: Largo to Presto in BPM

A plain-language guide to the Italian tempo words, and the approximate BPM ranges behind them.

Short answer: tempo markings are Italian words that tell a performer roughly how fast, and in what character, to play. Ordered slow to fast, the main ones are Largo (40-60 BPM), Adagio (66-76), Andante (76-108), Moderato (108-120), Allegro (120-156), Vivace (156-176) and Presto (168-200). These ranges are approximate and they overlap, so treat them as a feel, not a fixed rule.

The tempo-marking chart

Each marking covers a band of tempos rather than a single number. Notice how the bands overlap at their edges: one BPM value can legitimately fall under two names.

Marking	Character	Approx. BPM
Largo	Broad, very slow	40-60
Adagio	Slow, stately	66-76
Andante	Walking pace	76-108
Moderato	Moderate	108-120
Allegro	Fast, cheerful	120-156
Vivace	Lively, brisk	156-176
Presto	Very fast	168-200

Why the ranges overlap and shift

Tempo words describe both speed and mood, which is why no two sources agree on exact numbers. Presto (about 168-200) and Vivace (about 156-176) share a wide stretch of BPM; Adagio and Andante brush up against each other near 76. The markings have also drifted historically: in the Baroque period Largo was faster than Adagio, whereas modern usage treats Largo as the slower of the two. So a marking tells you the composer's intended character, and the metronome fills in a defensible number, not the other way round.

Why Italian words at all?

When printed music spread across Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, Italian was the lingua franca of composition, so its vocabulary became the international standard. Each term carries an image: Largo is broad, Andante a walking pace. That built-in character is the reason performers still reach for the Italian rather than a bare BPM number: the word carries information a metronome mark cannot.

Modifiers change the marking

Composers rarely stop at a single word. Modifiers tune it: molto (very), poco (a little), non troppo (not too much), assai (very), and -issimo endings all nudge the base tempo. "Allegro non troppo" asks for a fast pace but held back a little; "Allegro molto" pushes the other way. Two further words describe change rather than a fixed speed: accelerando (gradually faster) and ritardando (gradually slower). Reading a marking well means reading the modifier with it, not just the headline word.

Turning a marking into a metronome setting

To rehearse with a click, pick a BPM inside the marking's range and treat it as a target, not a cage. If a movement is marked Andante, start near the middle of its 76-108 window (say 92 BPM), play it through, and adjust up or down until the character feels right, then note the number you settled on. This gives you a repeatable reference for practice while keeping the interpretive freedom the word was meant to preserve.

Beyond the big seven

The seven above are the backbone, but scores reach for more. Grave is slower and heavier than Largo. Larghetto sits just above it, a touch quicker. Allegretto is a gentler Allegro, not quite so driven, and Prestissimo pushes past Presto to about the fastest a piece will go, often 200 BPM and up. You won't memorise every one, and you don't need to. Spot the root word and the ending fills in the rest. And remember the ranges are a starting window, not a rule: a marking names the character the composer wanted, and the metronome fills in a defensible number. For instance, a funeral march sits down in Grave or Largo, while a barnstorming finale often lives up in Presto or Prestissimo, and a gentle folk tune might drift around Andante without ever being marked at all.

Bottom line: a marking is a mood with a rough speed attached. Learn the family from Largo to Presto, read any modifier along with it, then pick a BPM and trust your ear for the rest.

A chart gives you the names. Your ear has to feel the order. In Chronsort, several pulses play at different speeds and you drag them into order from slowest to fastest. It trains the instinct behind tempo markings: hearing where a tempo falls on the Largo-to-Presto scale without counting a single BPM.

Play Chronsort →

Frequently asked questions

What is the BPM of Allegro?

Allegro is a fast, cheerful tempo, roughly 120 to 156 beats per minute. Like all tempo markings, that window is approximate and overlaps with neighbouring markings such as Moderato below it and Vivace above it.

Is Adagio or Andante faster?

Andante is faster. Adagio sits around 66 to 76 BPM (slow and stately), while Andante is a walking pace of about 76 to 108 BPM. Their ranges touch near 76 BPM, so a single tempo can be labelled either way depending on the piece.

Why are tempo markings in Italian?

Italian became the shared language of Western notation during the Baroque era, when Italian composers and publishers dominated printed music. Words like Largo (broad), Andante (walking) and Presto (very fast) describe both speed and character, so they stuck as international conventions.

Are tempo markings exact?

No. Tempo markings are approximate and their BPM ranges overlap. They describe a feel more than a fixed number, and interpretations have shifted over time. Baroque Largo, for example, was once faster than Adagio, whereas today it is treated as slower.