Music Glossary

Tempo

Tempo is the speed of the pulse/beat of a piece of music.

What Are the Basic Tempo Markings?
Italian musical terminology makes regular use of the following tempo markings:

Larghissimo—very, very slow, almost droning (20 BPM and below)
Grave—slow and solemn (20–40 BPM)
Lento—slowly (40–60 BPM)
Largo—the most commonly indicated “slow” tempo (40–60 BPM)
Larghetto—rather broadly, and still quite slow (60–66 BPM)
Adagio—another popular slow tempo, which translates to mean "at ease" (66–76 BPM)
Adagietto—rather slow (70–80 BPM)
Andante moderato—a bit slower than andante
Andante—a popular tempo that translates as “at a walking pace” (76–108 BPM)
Andantino—slightly faster than andante
Moderato—moderately (108–120 BPM)
Allegretto—moderately fast (but less so than allegro)
Allegro moderato—moderately quick (112–124 BPM)
Allegro—perhaps the most frequently used tempo marking (120–168 BPM, which includes the “heartbeat tempo” sweet spot)
Vivace—lively and fast (typically around 168-176 BPM)
Vivacissimo—very fast and lively, even faster than vivace
Allegrissimo—very fast
Presto—the most popular way to write “very fast” and a common tempo in fast movements of symphonies (ranges from 168–200 BPM)
Prestissimo—extremely fast (more than 200 BPM)
The choice of tempo (speed) of a piece of music has a crucial bearing on its feel and even the genre it sits in. For example, there are some styles of music which have specific tempos – e.g. romantic ballads tend to have a fairly slow tempo, whilst disco music tends to have a fast tempo.

To work out the tempo of a piece of music you are listening to you need to have a clear sense of the beat.
Have a listen to the following example of 3 different short extracts of music.