Accelerando

How Composers Use It

Use accelerando to build excitement or tension. It works particularly well in passages that crescendo simultaneously — the combination of increasing speed and volume is one of music's most effective dramatic devices. Always indicate where the acceleration ends (a tempo, or a new tempo marking).

Example

Rossini's opera overtures are famous for their accelerando-with-crescendo passages — the "Rossini crescendo" that builds from piano to fortissimo while speeding up.

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