Tempo di Valse: Waltz tempo (80–100 BPM)
Tempo di valse means waltz tempo, roughly 80-100 BPM per quarter note in 3/4 time with a lilting one-two-three swing.
Tempo di Valse Metronome: 80 to 100 BPM
Press play to hear Tempo di Valse at 90 BPM, or switch to the slow and fast ends of the range.
Loops until you press Stop. Beat 1 is accented so you can feel where the bar starts.
What Tempo di Valse Means
Tempo di valse indicates waltz tempo, a lilting triple meter typically around 90 BPM per dotted-half-note, giving a characteristic one-two-three swing. The waltz became the dominant social dance of the 19th century, and its tempo is one of the most immediately recognizable rhythmic patterns in Western music.
Etymology
Italian, 'tempo' (time/tempo) + 'di' (of) + 'valse' (waltz, from German 'Walzer')
BPM Range
Minimum: 80 BPM
Maximum: 100 BPM
Typical: 90 BPM
Emphasize beat one with a slight stress, letting beats two and three feel lighter. The characteristic waltz lilt comes from this gentle emphasis pattern, not from rushing or dragging.
Tempo di Valse in Real Music
Tempo di valse tells a performer to adopt the character of a waltz, not merely a speed, and the character is a triple meter where the first beat is weighted and the other two feel lighter and slightly buoyant. Johann Strauss II's Blue Danube is the archetype, its long introduction gradually assembling the rhythm before the famous rising arpeggio arrives, and Viennese practice adds a distinctive nuance: the second beat is played fractionally early, a rhythmic inflection no metronome can supply. Tchaikovsky wrote waltzes into music never meant for social dancing, including the Waltz of the Flowers in The Nutcracker and the waltzes of Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, where the ballroom association carries dramatic meaning. Chopin's waltzes, including the Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2, are concert pieces rather than dance music, and they stretch the tempo with rubato in ways that would strand any dancer. Tchaikovsky went further in his Symphony No. 6, writing a movement in five-four that sounds like a waltz with a limp. The 80-100 BPM figure refers to the quarter-note pulse; counted in one, a waltz bar falls around 28-34 per minute. Faster Viennese waltzes sit at the top of the range.
Example Pieces
- The Blue Danube Waltz, Johann Strauss II
- Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Valse in C-sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2, Frédéric Chopin
Common Genres
Related Tempo Markings
Frequently Asked Questions
What BPM is waltz tempo?
Waltz tempo (tempo di valse) is typically around 80-100 BPM for the quarter note, or about 28-34 BPM for the dotted half note if counting in one. Viennese waltzes tend toward the faster end.
What time signature is a waltz?
Waltzes are in 3/4 time (three quarter-note beats per measure). The characteristic one-two-three rhythm is the defining feature of waltz tempo.
How fast is a waltz in BPM?
Tempo di valse runs about 80-100 BPM counted in quarter notes, roughly 90 BPM typically. Counted one beat per bar. That is around 28-34 measures per minute, with Viennese waltzes at the faster end.
What pieces are marked tempo di valse?
Strauss II's Blue Danube is the archetypal waltz, and Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker is the best-known concert example. Chopin's Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2, is a celebrated piano waltz.
Is tempo di valse faster than tempo di marcia?
No. Tempo di valse runs 80-100 BPM while tempo di marcia sits at 112-126 BPM, so a march is faster. The bigger difference is meter: waltzes are in triple time, marches in duple or quadruple.
Related References
Practise Tempo di Valse at Any Tempo
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