Thus far its use has been largely limited to the vocal and musical arts, but it

would not be surprising to hear tempo applied to more concrete matters, for it

perfectly illustrates the real meaning of the word to say that an ox-cart moves

in slow tempo, an express train in a fast tempo. Our guns that fire six hundred

times a minute, shoot at a fast tempo; the old muzzle loader that required three

minutes to load, shot at a slow tempo. Every musician understands this

principle: it requires longer to sing a half note than it does an eighth note.

 

Now tempo is a tremendously important element in good platform work, for when a

speaker delivers a whole address at very nearly the same rate of speed he is

depriving himself of one of his chief means of emphasis and power. The baseball

pitcher, the bowler in cricket, the tennis server, all know the value of change

of pace--change of tempo--in delivering their ball, and so must the public

speaker observe its power.

 

_Change of Tempo Lends Naturalness to the Delivery_

 

Naturalness, or at least seeming naturalness, as was explained in the chapter on

"Monotony," is greatly to be desired, and a continual change of tempo will go a

long way towards establishing it. Mr. Howard Lindsay, Stage Manager for Miss

Margaret Anglin, recently said to the present writer that change of pace was one

of the most effective tools of the actor. While it must be admitted that the

stilted mouthings of many actors indicate cloudy mirrors, still the public

speaker would do well to study the actor's use of tempo.