What does tempo describe?

What does tempo describe?

• A. The organization of rhythm
• B. The pitch range of a piece
• C. The volume of the music
• D. The speed of the beat

Answer: (D)

Tempo describes the speed of the beat, or how fast the music should move. It tells you the pace at which you should perform note values, shaping the overall feel of a piece. Tempo can be shown with terms like Allegro or Andante, or with a metronome marking such as a certain number of beats per minute. This is different from how rhythm is organized in time, which deals with patterns and meter; it is also separate from the pitch range (how high or low the notes sound) and from dynamics (how loud or soft the music is). So tempo is all about the speed of the beat that guides performance.

Tempo describes the speed of the beat, or how fast the music should move. It tells you the pace at which you should perform note values, shaping the overall feel of a piece. Tempo can be shown with terms like Allegro or Andante, or with a metronome marking such as a certain number of beats per minute. This is different from how rhythm is organized in time, which deals with patterns and meter; it is also separate from the pitch range (how high or low the notes sound) and from dynamics (how loud or soft the music is). So tempo is all about the speed of the beat that guides performance.