Andante is a music word. It tells you to play or sing at a speed that is neither a rush nor a crawl — a kind of walking speed. A composer can write andante on the page as an instruction, and people also use it as a name for a piece, or a part of a piece, that goes at that speed: “the andante.” You will meet it in music class, on scores, and in concert programmes. It feels specialised, not like everyday chat; nobody describes a bus as andante. English borrowed the word from Italian and kept that Italian feel. Though actually, walking speed is not one exact number. One group’s andante can be a little quicker than another’s, and that is normal. It is a guide, not a machine setting.

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