Meno Mosso

Meno mosso, Italian for ‘less motion’, instructs the performer to slow the tempo to a degree less than the previous section. It is a relative marking — meno mosso means slower than what came immediately before, not slower in absolute terms.

The marking is common in 19th and 20th-century music. A typical use is in operatic ensemble scenes or symphonic transitions: a fast section gives way to a slightly slower one, marked meno mosso, where the orchestra and soloists settle into a more lyrical pace before perhaps speeding up again later.

Meno mosso differs from ritardando in that it specifies a step change rather than a gradual slowing. The new tempo is established immediately at the marking, not approached progressively.

Italian, ‘less motion’ — meno (‘less’, from Latin minus) + mosso (‘moved’, past participle of muovere, ‘to move’).

Establish the new tempo cleanly at the bar of the marking. Do not slow gradually; meno mosso is a step, not a curve. In ensemble work, the conductor or section leader sets the new pulse at the marking.