Crescendo
Gradually getting louder — often abbreviated cresc.
Related
Crescendo (cresc.) means gradually louder, often drawn as an opening "<" hairpin. It usually pushes a phrase toward a climax, creating direction and expectation.
It differs from sforzando: crescendo is a process, sforzando a moment. The usual mistake is to play it as "add volume all the way" — a good crescendo has levels and restraint, with a designed start, turning point and arrival; loud from beginning to end is no crescendo at all.
Read deeper → diminuendo
Sources
- crescendo 的记谱与演奏，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Dynamics"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.