Glossary of musical terms/Tempo

tempo
the "speed" of the music. The tempo determines how many notes of a given value can be played in a given amount of time. Musical scores may include a tempo recommendation (usually in Italian), i.e.,
  • Allegro
  • Largo
or a more precise instruction, in the form of a particular note-value, i.e.
  • minim/half-note = 120 (this would typically be interpreted as 120 half-notes in one minute)