A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Adagio

by Ebenezer Prout

ADAGIO (Ital. ad agio, 'at ease,' 'leisurely'). (1) A time indication. It is unfortunate that great differences of opinion prevail among musicians as to the comparative speed of the terms used to denote slow time. According to the older authorities adagio was the slowest of all time, then came grave, and then largo. This is the order given by Clementi. In some more modern works however, largo is the slowest, grave being second and adagio third; while others again give the order thus—grave, adagio, largo. It is therefore impossible to give any absolute rule on the subject; it will be sufficient to define adagio in general terms as 'very slow.' The exact pace at which any particular piece of music thus designated is to be taken will either be indicated by the metronome, or, if this has not been done, can be for the most part determined with sufficient accuracy from the character of the music itself. (2) The word is used as the name of a piece of music, either an independent piece (as in the case of Mozart's Adagio in B minor for piano, or Schubert's posthumous Adagio in E), or as one of the movements of a symphony, quartett, sonata, etc. When thus employed, the word not only shows that the music is in very slow time, but also indicates its general character. This is mostly of a soft, tender, elegiac tone, as distinguished from the largo, in which (as the name implies) there is more breadth and dignity. The adagio also is generally of a more florid character, and contains more embellishments and figurated passages than the largo. The distinction between the two will be clearly seen by comparing the adagios in Beethoven's sonatas, op. 2, Nos. 1, 3, and op. 13, with his largos in the sonatas op. 2, No. 2 and op. 7. (3) It was formerly used as a general term for a slow movement—'No modern has been heard to play an Adagio with greater taste and feeling than Abel.' Thus in the autograph of Haydn's Symphony in D (Salomon, No. 6 ), at the end of the first movement, we find 'Segue Adagio,' though the next movement is an Andante.

[ E. P. ]