slow movements

Unhurried physical actions

Slow movements refers to a tempo or character marking in classical music, indicating passages played at a leisurely, unhurried pace.

In multi-movement works like symphonies or sonatas, the slow movement typically provides contrast and emotional depth between faster sections: The slow movement of Beethoven's Seventh is among his most beloved.

The term also describes gentle, deliberate physical motion: She made slow movements so as not to startle the cat.

Related
  • crawlMove slowly, low
  • adagioSlow musical tempo
  • ambleRelaxed, slow gait
  • inchTwelfth of a foot
  • glideMove with effortless continuity

erosion · legato · glacier · syrupy · wading · tectonics · tectonic plates · meander · processional · funeral march · lento · tai chi · moving meditation · largo · sedimentation · time lapse · snail · plod

Categories
Opposites
speed/tempo

slow movementsrapid movements

Fast physical actions

quick movements

energy/intensity

slow movementsexplosive movements

Rapid, forceful physical actions

wild gestures

deliberateness/control

slow movementsknee-jerk reactions

Instinctive, unconsidered responses

Family

move, slow, movement, slowness, movements

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Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G