Tempo in beats per minute

[1piano4joe]

Hi all,

I'm looking to adopt a set of tempo markings in beats per minute to use in conjunction with metronome practice. There does seem to be an awfully large amount of leeway here so I thought I would post here to get some feedback.

Basic tempo markings:

By adding an -issimo ending the word is amplified/made louder, by adding an -ino or -etto ending the word is diminished/made softer. The metronome marks are broad approximations. Note: Metronome markings are a guide only and depending on the time signature and the piece itself, these figures may not be appropriate in every circumstance. Also, in longer pieces such as symphony movements, the tempo marking used by the composer for the movement does not have to be adhered to strictly throughout the movement; individual interpreters may vary the tempo at times, at their discretion.

From slowest to fastest:
Larghissimo – very, very slow (24 BPM and under)
Grave – very slow (25–45 BPM)
Lento – slowly (45–50 BPM)
Largo – broadly (50–55 BPM)
Larghetto – rather broadly (55–60 BPM)
Adagio – slow and stately (literally, "at ease") (60–72 BPM)
Adagietto – slower than andante (72–80 BPM)
Andantino – slightly slower than andante (although in some cases it can be taken to mean slightly faster than andante) (80–84 BPM)
Andante – at a walking pace (84–90 BPM)
Andante moderato – between andante and moderato (thus the name andante moderato) (90–96 BPM)
Marcia moderato – moderately, in the manner of a march[4][5] (83–85 BPM)
Moderato – moderately (96–108 BPM)
Allegro Moderato - moderately fast (108-112 BPM)
Allegretto – close to but not quite allegro (112–120 BPM)
Allegro – fast, quickly, and bright (120–168 BPM) (molto allegro is slightly faster than allegro, but always in its range)
Vivace – lively and fast (132–144 BPM)
Vivacissimo – very fast and lively (144–160 BPM)
Allegrissimo (or Allegro Vivace) – very fast (145–167 BPM)
Presto – extremely fast (168–200 BPM)
Prestissimo – even faster than Presto (200 BPM and over)

Do you think these are too fast or just right?

This is a slightly slower version of the same:

Basic tempo markings

From slowest to fastest:
Larghissimo – very, very slow (19 BPM and under)
Grave – slow and solemn (20–40 BPM)
Lento – slowly (40–45 BPM)
Largo – wide (45–50 BPM)
Larghetto – quite broadly (50–55 BPM)
Adagio – slow and stately (55–65 BPM)
Adagietto – quite slow (65–69 BPM)
Andante moderato – a bit slower than andante (69–72 BPM)
Andante – at a walking pace (73–77 BPM)
Andantino – quite faster than andante (but some cases it means a bit slower than andante) (78–83 BPM)
Marcia moderato – moderately, in the style of a march[1][2] (83–85 BPM)
Moderato – moderately (86–97 BPM)
Allegretto – moderately fast (98–109 BPM)
Allegro – fast, quickly and bright (109–132 BPM)
Vivace – lively and fast (132–140 BPM)
Vivacissimo – very fast and lively (140–150 BPM)
Allegrissimo – very fast (150–167 BPM)
Presto – extremely fast (168–177 BPM)
Prestissimo – even faster than Presto (178 BPM and over)

Which do you think is more generally accurate? The first list or the second list?

Thanks to all who take the time to respond, Joe.

[faulty_damper]

Tempo should not be viewed as an objective measurement.  It should only be considered in musical context.  Assigning a metronome marking to tempo doesn't say much about the music.  It should be painfully obvious what the tempo is even without tempo or metronome markings.