Ritardando vs rallentando

[abhishekchanda]

Hi,

If there a thread discussion, please direct me to that thread.

There is piano piece - Garden path. I need to prepare for a grade exam.

Thanks

[iansinclair]

If you check the music dictionary -- one of the handy tabs up top -- you find that they both mean "gradually slower".  There may be a subtle difference which someone else knows about, but I don't know of much of a difference.

[timothy42b]

They both translate the same: 

watch the conductor

.

[keypeg]

Like Iansinclair said.

These expressions were not created in the same way as science and engineering terms have been put together.  Musicians in different places in Europe over different time periods searched for words to describe their vision for their compositions that went beyond just the notes.  In different time periods, or among different composers, some words even had slightly different meanings.

For interpreting this piece that you're preparing for an exam, I imagine your teacher is also guiding you and you should feel free to ask that question.  For interpreting "rallentando" also get into the piece yourself.  Try to understand it as feeling and phrasing.  If rall. or rit. are written in, what is happening musically?  Is it coming to a gentle end, fading away into the sunset?  Was there a dramatic climax in a surge of emotion, and now it is sighing in relief with all that intensity falling away?  What is going on in your music, as music?

[keypeg]

Since Iansinclair referred to dictionaries, I got curious and checked my fat "Harvard Concise Dict. of Music".  Rallentando and ritardando are given the same meaning - Ritardando saying "Slowing doing gradually, also indicated by rallentando."  It also says "see "ritenuto" (so I did)....

Ritenuto: "Held back, slowed down; usually a more sudden reduction in tempo than called for by ritardando and rallentando." -- Making a note of the fact that this definition puts rit. and rall. as two same things.

[chopinlover01]

German vs. Italian terms (which also pretty succinctly sums up most of classical music's history; fights between the measured, the controlled and the unmeasured, expressive).

Interpret it in context; otherwise it's just a bunch of letters.

[richard black]

As above replies. Note that, strictly speaking, 'rit.' is short for ritenuto and 'ritard.' for ritardando and, as noted above, they don't mean the same thing. But you can only rely on Italian composers getting this right...