Poco

As Printed on a Score

Printed before the word it moderates — “poco rit.”, “poco cresc.”, “poco più mosso”, “un poco” — and lasts as long as that word does. “Poco a poco” is different: it means little by little, turning a crescendo or accelerando into a long, gradual process, often drawn out with dashes until its goal is reached.

How Composers Use It

Poco tempers whatever it modifies. "Poco a poco crescendo" means a very gradual increase in volume. "Poco ritardando" means slow down only slightly. Use it for subtle, controlled changes that should not be overdone.

Example

Brahms, Symphony No. 4, first movement, first violins, m. 28: “poco a poco” stretches a cresc. that is renewed six bars later and reaches f ten bars after it began.

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