Announcements, Music Theory

Rallentando & Ritardando: What’s the Difference?

Ever wonder about the difference between rallentando and ritardando?  Well, I did….so I decided to look into it and add my two cents to the debate.  =)

According to the Music Dictionaries…

Many musical dictionaries simply state, “slowing down” as the definition for both rallentando and ritardando.  Some state that the two words are synonyms.  However, I would still like to think there is some slight difference in meaning or emphasis between the two words.  After all, they are two different words in the Italian language.   And composers have been making use of both words in their compositions for centuries.  So I decided to do a little more digging. Continue reading “Rallentando & Ritardando: What’s the Difference?”