andante

American  

[ahn-dahn-tey, an-dan-tee, ahn-dahn-te] / ɑnˈdɑn teɪ, ænˈdæn ti, ɑnˈdɑn tɛ /

adjective

1. moderately slow and even.

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noun

andantes plural

1. an andante movement or piece.

andante British  

/ ænˈdænteɪ /

adjective

1. (to be performed) at a moderately slow tempo

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noun

1. a passage or piece to be performed in this manner

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• andantes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of andante

1735–45; < Italian: literally, walking, present participle of andare to walk, go ( see -ant); etymology disputed, but often alleged: < Vulgar Latin *ambitare, derivative of Latin ambitus circular motion, roundabout journey ( see ambit); perhaps, alternatively, early Latin borrowing < Gaulish *andā-, akin to Latin pandere to spread (hence, stride); compare passus step, pace (action noun *pand-tu- ), equivalent to Old Irish ēs footprint, track

Explanation

Use the word andante to describe a relatively slow, moderately paced tune. Your piano teacher might tell you to play a piece andante. The word andante, particularly common in classical music, is sometimes described as "at a walking pace." An andante movement in a symphony is faster than adagio but slower than allegro. Like so many musical words describing tempo, andante is Italian, a form of the verb andare, "to go." The Latin root, ambire, means "to go around" or "to go about."

Example Sentences

“I have long been thinking of abandoning these nonsensical terms allegro, andante, adagio, presto,” Beethoven wrote in an 1817 letter to Hofrat von Mosel, “and Mälzel’s metronome gives us the best opportunity to do so.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2023

I was more impressed with the Scriabin numbers; the Sonata in F-sharp Minor surges forward from the first bar, and the andante is really beautifully voiced.

From Washington Post • Dec. 17, 2015

The new discoveries confirm that Reisinger included this suite’s most surprising single item, the beautifully poignant andante con moto number.

From New York Times • Oct. 13, 2015

When directing his own plays, he was routinely heard to use the musical terms piano and fortissimo, andante and allegro.

From The Guardian • Jul. 31, 2014

In the andante of the sonata I learned in the first four bars more from Liszt than in years from my former good teachers.

From Franz Liszt by Huneker, James