Which term indicates gradually getting slower?

• A. Ritardando
• B. Breath Mark
• C. Caesura
• D. Fermata

Answer: (A)

Gradual slowing in a passage is shown by ritardando. This Italian term means to slow down, guiding you to ease the tempo step by step over the notes it covers. In scores it’s often written as ritardando or shortened to rit., sometimes flowing into a new, slower tempo or simply broadening the phrase with a decelerating feel. The idea is a controlled slowdown, not a sudden tempo drop.

Breath Mark signals a place to take a breath, Caesura indicates a brief pause or break, and Fermata means hold a note or rest longer than its value. These markings affect phrasing and timing in different ways, but they don’t indicate a gradual change in tempo.