tempi

I'd disagree about the precision of note lengths and tempi being a problem, though, simply because humans aren't very good at keeping exact time.

Slow tempos (yes, tempi, I know, but I don't feel like the word is so foreign that I need to pluralize it in Italian, so tempos) allow for larger motions and gestures.

Well, with tempi, my main gripe isn't the exact BPM but rather the fact that you have to memorize all this obscure Italian (+ other?) terminology in order to understand what's going on.

Bear in mind, this is an art form in which audiences used to be so critical that Glenn Gould was booed for playing Brahms 1 with Bernstein just because he took slow tempi!

There are those who are obsessed with the body and it’s perfect positioning and movement those who indulge in extensive experimentation (trying everything), those who listen to absolutely everything, those who meditatively repeat and repeat (sometimes at glacial tempi), and then there are those who collect every musical idea they can and gift listeners with only the best treasures they encounter.

Tempi and volume are usually given in Italian, aren't they?

Tempi and volume are usually given in Italian, aren't they?