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Ritardando

Musical Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Ritardando directs a performer to slow down gradually rather than stopping or changing tempo abruptly.

Detailed Definition
A ritardando alters the pace by extending the space between successive beats, often preparing a cadence or emphasizing a final phrase. In poetry, it can describe syntax that lengthens, lines that grow more spacious, or a sequence of pauses that slows perception. This deceleration may suggest exhaustion, reverence, reluctance, fading memory, or approach to death. Its effect depends on what the poem makes the reader wait to receive.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ending each line with “and then—” while lengthening the pause creates a ritardando, or gradual slowing; A poet can repeat “slower,” “slower,” “slow” to make the poem’s rhythm decelerate; In a farewell poem, increasingly long lines and softer stresses can imitate a ritardando as the speaker leaves; The final stanza may slow from brisk action verbs to meditative phrases such as “I remain, listening”
Additional Notes
Ritardando, often abbreviated rit., asks performers to slow down progressively. It differs from a sudden pause or a tempo change because the transition itself is stretched over time. Poets may imitate ritardando through longer lines, delayed syntax, pauses, or a slowing emotional conclusion.
Also Known As
Rallentando Slowing Down
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