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Tempo Markings

Andante

Pronounced ahn-DAHN-teh

Definition

Andante is a tempo marking meaning at a walking pace: moderately slow, flowing and unhurried. It sits between adagio and moderato, often around 76 to 108 beats per minute.

Andante comes from the Italian verb andare, "to go" or "to walk", and the best way to feel it is exactly that: a relaxed walking pace. It is faster than adagio and slower than moderato. Many charts give roughly 76 to 108 beats per minute, a wide range, because a stroll and a purposeful walk are both walking.

A four-bar grand-staff example in C major and 4/4, marked Andante and mezzo piano. The right hand plays a melody in quarter and eighth notes; the left hand plays a steady quarter-note bass line ending on a half-note C.
An original four-bar melody in C major marked Andante, played at ♩ = 92. The left hand walks in steady quarter notes, one note per beat.

Moving, not dragging

Andante is often described simply as "slow", and that leads players to drag it. The word means going: the music should keep moving forward. A useful test is to walk around the room while you sing the melody. If you have to slow your steps unnaturally, your andante is too slow.

Andante with other words

Composers often refine andante with a second word:

  • Andante con moto: walking, "with motion", a little more flowing. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony has an Andante con moto second movement.
  • Andante cantabile: walking and singing.
  • Andante sostenuto: walking but sustained, a little broader.
  • Andante ma non troppo: walking, but not too much.

The diminutive andantino means "a little andante", and today it usually means a little faster.

Andante in real music

The slow movement of Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony (No. 94) is an Andante: a quiet, simple tune at a walking pace, interrupted by a sudden loud chord. The second movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata in C, K. 545, is also marked Andante.

Find andante on the speedometer in Tempo & the Metronome and on the Musical terms & signs chart, place it on the tempo ladder in Dynamics & Tempo Ladders, and hunt for it in the Music word search.

Common questions

Is andante slow or fast?

In between: a moderately slow walking pace, faster than adagio and slower than moderato. Think of it as moving along comfortably rather than as slow.

What is the difference between andante and adagio?

Adagio ("at ease") is slower and more relaxed; andante ("walking") keeps moving forward. On most charts adagio ends at about the speed where andante begins.

Practice it: free worksheets