andantino

tempoahn-dahn-TEE-nohfrom Italian

Slightly faster than andante, though historically debated.

In Depth

Andantino is one of the more ambiguous tempo markings in music. The -ino suffix in Italian usually means a little, but musicians have debated for centuries whether andantino means a little slower or a little faster than andante. Most modern interpretations treat it as slightly faster. The confusion arises because if andante is considered slow, then a little andante means a little less slow — in other words, faster. But if andante is considered moderate, a little andante could mean a touch slower. Composers from Beethoven onward generally used it to indicate a tempo just above andante.
Did you know?

The confusion over andantino's speed has persisted for so long that some modern music dictionaries simply list both interpretations and leave it to the performer.

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