andante

Definition of the Italian term andante in music:

moderately slow (40–90 beats per minute)
movement, section, or piece marked andante

Language

Italian

Abbreviation

and^te

An analysis of 100 recordings of classical works marked andante indicates that andante is typically performed at a tempo between 40 and 90 beats per minute (BPM). The average tempo is 64 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

Italian musical terms that include andante:

andante affettuoso – moderately slow and affectionate...
andante agitato – moderately slow and agitated...
andante allegro – somewhat slow, faster than andante...
andante amabile – moderately slow and pleasant...
andante animoso – moderately slow and spirited...
andante assai – very moderately slow...
andante cantabile – moderately slow and singable (in a singing style)...
andante con amore – moderately slow with love...
andante con anima – moderately slow with soul...
andante con espressione – moderately slow with expressiveness...
andante con gravità – moderately slow with seriousness...
andante con grazia – moderately slow with grace...
andante con gusto – moderately slow with taste...
andante con moto – moderately slow with movement...
andante con sentimento – moderately slow with feeling...
andante con tenerezza – moderately slow with tenderness...
andante con variazioni – moderately slow with variations (followed by varia...
andante dolce – moderately slow and sweet...
andante doloroso – moderately slow and painful...
andante e ben tenuto – moderately slow and well held (with notes sustaine...
andante e cantabile – moderately slow and singable (in a singing style)...
andante e legato – moderately slow and legato (with smooth and connec...
andante e lugubre – moderately slow and gloomy...
andante e molto legato – moderately slow and very legato (with very smooth ...
andante e semplice – moderately slow and simple...
andante e sostenuto – moderately slow and sustained (in duration)...
andante e spiccato – moderately slow and spiccato (with short and detac...
andante e staccato – moderately slow and staccato (with short and detac...
andante e vivace – moderately slow and lively...
andante espressivo – moderately slow and expressive...
andante festivo – moderately slow and festive...
andante grandioso – moderately slow and grandiose...
andante grazioso – moderately slow and graceful...
andante lamentoso – moderately slow and mournful...
andante largo – moderately slow and broad...
andante lento – slower than andante, but not as slow as lento...
andante ma non troppo – moderately slow but not too much...
andante maestoso – moderately slow and majestic...
andante malinconico – moderately slow and melancholic...
andante mesto – moderately slow and sad...
andante moderato – moderately slow (40–90 beats per minute)...
andante molto – very moderately slow, most often slower than andan...
andante mosso – moderately slow with movement...
andante non molto – moderately slow but not very much...
andante non presto – moderately slow but not too fast...
andante non troppo – moderately slow but not too much...
andante non troppo lento – moderately slow but not too slow...
andante pastorale – moderately slow and in a pastoral style...
andante placido – moderately slow and peaceful...
andante quasi adagio – moderately slow, almost as slow as adagio...
andante quasi allegretto – moderately slow, almost as fast as allegretto...
andante religioso – moderately slow and religious...
andante rubato – moderately slow and in free time (with freedom in ...
andante rustico – moderately slow and rustic...
andante semplice – moderately slow and simple...
andante solennelle – moderately slow and solemn...
andante sostenuto – moderately slow and sustained (in duration)...
andante sostenuto assai – moderately slow and very sustained (in duration)...
andante teneramente – moderately slow and tenderly...
andante tranquillo – moderately slow and peaceful...
andante un poco adagio – moderately slow, a little like adagio...
andante un poco lento – moderately slow, a little like lento...
andante un poco rubato – moderately slow and in somewhat free time (with fr...
andantino quasi andante – slightly faster than andante, almost like andante...
meno andante – slower
molto andante – very moderately slow, slower than andante...
più andante – faster than andante...
poco andante – a little slow
quasi andante – almost andante
un poco andante – somewhat walking pace

Music scores that include andante:

Felix Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words (1829‑1845) Page 1
Franz Liszt: Consolations (1849–50) Page 1
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne in E-flat major (1830‑1831) Page 1
Gabriel Fauré: Pavane (1887) Page 1
Georges Bizet: L'Arlésienne Suite No. 2 (1879) Page 1
Gioachino Rossini: The Barber of Seville (1816) Page 1
Hector Berlioz: Grande messe des morts (1837) Page 1
Johann Sebastian Bach: Goldberg Variations (1741) Page 1
Jules Massenet: Méditation (1894‑1898) Page 1
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Don Giovanni (1787) Page 1

Italian musical terms related to andante:

allegretto – moderately fast (70–150 beats per minute)...
camminando – walking, strolling, moving on, at a moderate pace
discreto – discrete, moderate
moderatamente – in moderate tempo...
moderatissimo – very moderate tempo...
moderato – moderate tempo (50–120 beats per minute)...
posato – moderate, measured...
temperatamente – moderately

Tempo analysis

Combinations

Musical examples

Related terms