adagio
Definition of the Italian term adagio in music:
- slowly (35–75 beats per minute)
- movement, section, or piece marked adagio
Language
Italian
Abbreviation
adag.
Alt. abbreviations
adoadgo
Tempo analysis
An analysis of 100 recordings of classical works marked adagio indicates that adagio is typically performed at a tempo between 35 and 75 beats per minute (BPM). The average tempo is 56 BPM.
The diagram below shows the tempo of each recording. The dataset includes works from the 18th to 20th centuries, where available, with no more than three recordings of the same work and no more than six by the same composer.
18th century
19th century
20th century
Combinations
Italian musical terms that include adagio:
Musical examples
Music scores that include adagio:
- Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 (1893) Page 1
- Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso No. 8 (1690) Page 6
- Charles Gounod: Petite Symphonie (1885) Page 1
- Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (1677‑1688) Page 1
- Johann Sebastian Bach: O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß (1708‑1917) Page 1
- Johann Sebastian Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor (1708) Page 1
- Joseph Haydn: Piano Sonata in E minor (1778) Page 4
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata (1802) Page 1
- Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 14 (1826) Page 1
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Magic Flute (1791) Page 1
Related terms
Italian musical terms related to adagio: