# Slow Movements



## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Hi there,

This is probably in the wrong forum, so hopefully it'll find its rightful place. I'm a novice when it comes to classical terminology, so I wonder can anyone explain the difference between an adagio and an andante? Why are they differently named?

And a "romance", too. And a largo. Hope this doesn't draw too much effort from people, a simple explanation would be appreciated. I see these names and I'm confumbled as to what they mean - and why they're differently named, when they're all "slow movements" to me.

Many thanks! :tiphat:


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## Meaghan (Jul 31, 2010)

An adagio is slower than an andante and a largo is slower than an adagio. But the lines between these are rather fluid. A "romance" doesn't have a set tempo and is a title that gets applied to a variety of works.


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

There is a difference in tempi in some cases - an _andante_, which means 'at walking pace', is generally faster than _adagio_, 'at ease' or 'slowly'. Whether _largo_, which means 'broadly' is slower or faster than _adagio _is a matter of interpretation. Presumably Shostakovich wanted the slow movements of his fifth and sixth symphonies played 'broadly' rather than (just) 'slowly' since he marked them _largo _not _adagio_; whereas the first and third movements of the eleventh are both _adagio_.

_Romance _is not an indication of tempo. It derives from the idea of a story in music, usually an episode of a story I suppose since _romances _are usually slight works.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Thanks for the replies! That helps me a lot...


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