Which tempo term indicates gradually speeding up and is often followed by a return to the original tempo?

• A. Accelerando
• B. Ritardando
• C. A tempo
• D. Tempo rubato

Answer: (A)

Gradually speeding up is called accelerando. It marks a steady increase in tempo, creating forward momentum as the music moves ahead. Often, after this rise, the performer returns to the original pace, which is signaled by a tempo marking like a tempo or simply resuming the initial tempo. Ritardando means to slow down, not speed up. A tempo means returning to the original tempo, not the speeding up itself. Tempo rubato describes flexible, expressive timing rather than a defined speed change. So the term that best fits gradually speeding up and is often followed by returning to the original tempo is accelerando.