A Tempo
A tempo tells performers to return to the earlier established tempo after a temporary change, such as a ritardando or a brief free passage.
- return to prior pace
- follows a change
- read the earlier marking
Which tempo do you return to?
Look backward to the pace that was in force before the temporary slowing or speeding. If a passage began at quarter note = 100 and then slowed with rit., 'a tempo' normally brings back that prior 100-BPM quarter pulse. A new metronome number would state a different target explicitly.
Is it the same as Tempo I?
Not always. Tempo I or tempo primo points specifically to the initial tempo of the piece. A tempo usually restores the tempo immediately preceding the local change. If the music has already had several sections at different speeds, those instructions can lead to different results.
How do you make the return audible?
Count the last slowed beats, then make the next downbeat arrive at the recovered spacing. Do not rush a single note as a correction; restart the pulse. If the score gives no exact number, use the earlier phrase as your reference.