Crescendo: getting gradually louder
Crescendo is an Italian word meaning growing. It tells you to get gradually louder. It is written cresc. or as a hairpin, two lines that open to the right, drawn under the notes.
Crescendo (say kreh-SHEN-doh) comes from the Italian crescere, to grow. In music it means to become louder little by little. It does not mean to play loudly at once. The change happens gradually, over the notes it covers, until the sound reaches the new level.
How is a crescendo written?
There are two ways. The first is the abbreviation cresc., written in italics below the staff. Sometimes the word is followed by a dotted line that shows how far it reaches. The second is the hairpin: two lines that start together at a point and spread apart to the right, like a sideways V. The wider the hairpin gets, the louder the sound. Short hairpins cover just a few notes. Long ones may spread across several measures.
The hairpin often starts and ends with dynamic letters. For example, a hairpin from p to f tells you to grow from soft to loud.
| Version | Looks like | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| cresc. | The word, often with dashes after it | Longer passages, often in orchestral parts |
| Hairpin | Two lines opening to the right | Short or medium swells, common in piano and vocal music |
| poco a poco cresc. | The words poco a poco added | Little by little, a very slow growth |
How do you play a crescendo?
- Piano: Press each note a little deeper than the one before. Plan the shape in advance. If you reach the top too early, you have nowhere to go.
- Strings: Use more bow weight and a faster bow speed, or move the bow nearer to the bridge. On long notes you can use more bow as you go.
- Winds and brass: Add air steadily. Keep the tone and pitch steady as the volume grows.
- Voice: Increase the breath flow smoothly and open the mouth a little more. A choir should grow together, not one section at a time.
Practice tip: Save your volume. If a crescendo covers eight measures, try to make the last measure the loudest and the first the softest. Most beginners rush to the loud part.
What is the difference between crescendo and accelerando?
These two words are often confused because both describe a gradual increase. Crescendo is about volume: louder and louder. Accelerando is about speed: faster and faster. A passage can have both at once, as in many exciting endings. They are separate instructions, though. If the printed word is crescendo, keep the tempo steady unless the music also says accelerando.
What is the opposite of crescendo?
The opposite is decrescendo or diminuendo, which means gradually getting softer. Its hairpin is drawn in the opposite direction, with the lines starting wide and closing to a point on the right.
What is a famous crescendo?
Ravel's Boléro is one of the best known. The same melody is played again and again over a steady rhythm, while the orchestra grows from a quiet start to a very loud finish. Because the notes barely change, the gradual growth in volume and in the number of instruments is what holds the listener's attention.
Check yourself
1. What does crescendo mean?
Answer: Gradually louder. It comes from the Italian word for growing.
2. What does a hairpin that opens to the right mean?
Answer: Crescendo. A hairpin that opens is a crescendo. One that closes is a diminuendo.
3. Which word describes a gradual change in speed rather than volume?
Answer: Accelerando. Accelerando means gradually faster, which is a change of speed.
4. Which abbreviation stands for crescendo?
Answer: cresc.. dim. is diminuendo and rit. is ritardando.