Which marking means gradually getting slower and louder?

• A. Con moto
• B. Allargando
• C. Coda
• D. Allegretto

Answer: (B)

Allargando signals a broadening of the music, which usually means the tempo slows slightly and the sound expands, often with a swell in dynamics toward a fuller, louder feel. The idea is to widen the moment in time and in tone, giving the music a grand, expansive character before moving on. The term comes from allargare, to widen, which captures this sense of taking space in both tempo and sonority.

Con moto means with movement and typically implies keeping a lively pace, not slowing. Coda marks an ending section rather than a tempo or dynamic change. Allegretto is a moderately fast tempo, not the gradual slowing and broadening described by allargando.