Ritardando

Ritardando (Italian, often abbreviated to ritard. or rit.) is a musical term indicating a gradual decrease in tempo, or a slowing down of the music. It's a crucial element in musical expression, allowing performers to shape phrases, create dramatic effects, and build anticipation. The change in tempo should be smooth and subtle, avoiding any abrupt shifts. It's often used towards the end of a piece or a musical phrase to create a sense of finality or closure, or to enhance the emotional impact of a passage. The exact rate of slowing is up to the performer's interpretation, considering the context of the musical composition.

Ritardando meaning with examples

• The pianist, feeling the emotion of the piece build, began a delicate ritardando in the third movement, allowing the tension to swell before the final, powerful chord. It was a breathtaking effect.
• As the soprano approached the climactic high note, she subtly incorporated a ritardando, drawing out the anticipation and intensifying the emotional impact of her delivery.
• In the orchestral piece, the conductor signaled a ritardando as the music moved toward the resolution, creating a sense of peace and a feeling of completion.
• Following a particularly fast and complex passage, the composer marked a ritardando to allow the listener, and performer, time to breathe and process the musical information, shifting to something simpler.
• The jazz musician used a ritardando at the end of their improvisation, slowing the tempo to a crawl before bringing it back to tempo for the next soloist.