Decrescendo

Pronunciation: day-chreh-SHEN-doe


What is Decrescendo?

Decrescendo is a type of dynamic change in a musical composition. It indicates a decrease in loudness in a piece of music, or simply put, a gradual decrease in loudness in the volume.

Key Takeaways

  1. Decrescendo is a type of dynamic change that means to decrease the volume of the piece of music.
  2. Decrescendo is often confused with diminuendo, but there is a major difference between the two, with the latter indicating to slow down.
  3. Decrescendo is a directive used by composers to indicate the decrease of the volume of a specified passage.

Understanding Decrescendo

Decrescendo is an Italian term derived from the Latin word, “decrescene,” which means “to grow less” or “diminish.” It is a directive used by a composer on the sheet of music to indicate that the provided passage must gradually get softer or decrease in volume.

The term is often confused with diminuendo, which is another type of dynamic change that means to decrease in volume and slow down. Decrescendo simply means to lower the volume, and not necessarily to slow down the tempo of the song.

Related Terms

Dynamics Dynamics is the term that conveys the variation in loudness between notes or phrases in musical composition. more

Fortissimo Fortissimo is a type of musical dynamic that means “very loud.” more

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