Beschleunigend

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff where a gradual acceleration begins; it continues until a new tempo word, a fermata or a climax. Sometimes graded (sehr beschleunigend).

How Composers Use It

Accelerating — the German accelerando, used by Wolf in songs that gather excitement over a few bars. Unlike drängend, it names the change of speed without the sense of pressure, and unlike beschleunigt it describes a process still under way. Mark the arrival tempo or the climax it leads to, so the acceleration has a goal and players know when to stop.

Example

Wolf, Eichendorff-Lieder, “Die Zigeunerin”, voice, m. 33: “beschleunigend”, between “bestimmt” and “keck”, in a song headed “Mässig”.

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