Definition of moderato in English:
moderato
adverb
Music(especially as a direction after a tempo marking) at a moderate pace.
‘the piece should not be played too fast, beginning moderato and ending spiritoso’- ‘In other words, the mood that is written above the score is never quite identical to the affects it contains: Moderato Cantabile is never quite moderato cantabile.’
- ‘The penultimate, Prelude 23, is faster than the moderato marking.’
- ‘As this passage also suggests, however, moderato cantabile seems to be much more than what is written above the score.’
- ‘In chapter eleven of volume six Tristram cites the indications moderato, lentamente, lenute, grave, adagio, constrepito, scicilliana, allacapella, con l'arco, and sema l' arco.’
- ‘However I felt the orchestra lacked clarity in the moderato sections where a pulse was needed but not provided.’
Pronunciation
adjective
MusicModerate in pace.
- ‘the moderato finale is not all sweetness and light, the tension mounting to fortissimo outbursts’
Pronunciation
nounplural noun moderatos
MusicA passage marked to be performed at a moderate pace.
‘The moderato comes with such tastefully conceived phrasing and smooth quality that there is now the kind of near-perfection that gives an idea of what these two musicians are capable of together.’- ‘The work falls into four movements - moderato, slow, scherzo, and allegro finale - the last three played without a break.’
- ‘A mysterious first movement, prelude: adagio - moderato, runs much of its course over a rocking two-note pattern, building to a powerful climax.’
- ‘In the Allegro assai moderato we have an impression of impish playfulness that is very much akin to Gade's own inventiveness.’
- ‘The passion of the Allegretto poco moderato e comodo was never allowed to become overly sentimental.’
Pronunciation
Origin
Italian, literally ‘moderate’.
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