Ritardando

Ritardando ( Italian. " Delaying ", abbreviation: rit. , Ritard. ) Is a musical performance designation that requires a gradual slowing down of the tempo , similar to rallentando .

Due to the abbreviation rit. , Confusion with ritenuto is possible, which, however, does not prescribe a gradual, but a sudden (usually only brief) decrease in tempo. In order to minimize the risk of confusion, ritenuto is often abbreviated to riten . The opposite lecture instruction is Accelerando .

This expression is usually set in italics.

See also

• Agogic (music)
• List of musical performance titles

Individual evidence

1. ↑ rallentando & Ritardando: What's the Difference? In: Color In My Piano . September 3, 2010 ( colorinmypiano.com [accessed January 12, 2018]).
2. ↑ Musical Definitions: What Does Ritardando Mean? In: ThoughtCo . ( thoughtco.com [accessed January 12, 2018]).