Skip to main content

In Music, What Does Rit Mean?

Music consists of several symbols and terms that provide instructions.

In music, there are various terms used to indicate tempo changes, mood, articulation and special techniques for specific instruments. These terms come from a variety of languages, but most commonly are from Italian, English, German and French. Musicians learn these terms as they practice new pieces and look up what a particular term means. Many of the terms are very similar, with subtle differences between each term. Often, as in the case with "rit," these terms will appear abbreviated to save space.

Definition


A ritardando is a gradual slowing of the tempo. Rit. is the shorthand most often used in scores. When you see the abbreviation of the entire word ritardando, the composer is asking you to slow down gradually. Usually, this occurs over the course of several measures in the piece.

A similar term, rallentando, is very much like a ritardando except that with a rallentando the performer is expected to slow down more rapidly and it is implied that the player should decrescendo, which is a fancy word for getting quieter.

Tempo 


Ritardandos tell the performer to gradually slow down, but a musician must determine how much to slow down. Often, a ritardando comes right before a tempo change. In these cases, most musicians will slow down to meet the new tempo less abruptly. Imagine if the music was buzzing along and then suddenly and drastically changed tempo. This is exactly the sort of issue the ritardando solves.

Musical Uses 


Gustav Mahler was famous for his use of large, sweeping ritardandos. Particularly in his 1st and 2nd Symphonies, there is a great use of this technique. He will often use it at the end of phrases and sections to create a dramatic lull in the performance. Performers also use ritardandos to help exaggerate a musical line. Often, a ritardando appears in preparation for a solo line or in the middle of a lyrical piece. Ritardandos commonly appear at the end of a composition.

Notation 


The notation of a ritardando is standard. The term appears spelled out completely or indicated with its abbreviation in the affected section. The term will most often appear below the score, although it occurs above the score in vocal music and when it would conflict with other score items if placed below. Most commonly, a broken dotted line will appear connected to the ritardando. The dotted line indicates how long the ritardando should extend. When the broken dotted line stops, that is the point where the tempo should stabilize.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory

  Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. So, I felt writing a blog post to celebrate would be appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged the conventions of Western music. He was influenced by the impressionist painters, the exotic sounds of gamelan music, and the symbolist poets. He created a musical language that was expressive, colorful, and atmospheric. One of the most remarkable aspects of Debussy's music is his use of harmony. He did not follow the rules of tonality and functional harmony that dominated the music of his time. Instead, he used modes, scales, chords, and parallel movements that created a sense of ambiguity and fluidity. He also experimented with timbre, texture, rhythm, and form to create musical images that evoked moods and emotions. Debussy's music can inspire us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities in our own compositions. We can learn from his innovative techniques and his artistic vision. We can also apprecia...
Post a Comment
Read more

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no...
Post a Comment
Read more

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str...
Post a Comment
Read more