En

As Printed on a Score

Printed at the head of a direction, most often with a present participle — en animant, en retenant, en pressant, en élargissant — which marks a gradual change starting at that point and continuing until a new tempo word arrives. It also forms fixed phrases: en dehors (brought out), en mesure (in time).

How Composers Use It

The en + participle form is French’s way of writing a process, the equivalent of Italian words in -ando (animando, allargando). Two can be joined — en animant et en augmentant — to make tempo and dynamics rise together. Because the change is gradual, show where it ends: a tempo word, au Mouvt, or the next dynamic. For an immediate change use the imperative (animez, retenez) or an adjective (retenu).

Example

Chausson, Serres chaudes, Op. 24, “Serre chaude”, piano, m. 53: “en animant et en augmentant”, joining a tempo change and a crescendo in one direction.

Related Terms