What does ritardando mean in music?

ritardando means "gradually getting slower".

What type of musical term is ritardando?

ritardando is a tempo term — see the Theory Practice glossary for the rest of the tempo word list.

What grade is ritardando tested in?

ritardando first appears at Grade 2 in ABRSM, AMEB and Trinity music theory exams, and stays in the syllabus for every grade above that.

Music theory · Musical terms · Tempo

ritardando — meaning in music

ritardando is a musical term meaning gradually getting slower. It is a tempo marking, first tested at Grade 2 in ABRSM, AMEB and Trinity music theory exams. From that grade on, every written paper expects you to know it on sight.

Definition

gradually getting slower

TempoFirst tested: Grade 2

Translations

French	progressivement plus lent
German	wird allmählich langsamer
Italian	diventando gradualmente più lento
Spanish	gradualmente cada vez más lento
Chinese	逐渐变慢

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All tempo terms

a tempo accelerando adagio allegretto allegro andante andantino doppio movimento incalzando l’istesso tempo larghetto largo lento moderato prestissimo presto rallentando ritardando ritenuto stringendo tempo primo vivace