Poco a poco crescendo

As Printed on a Score

Printed below the staff as poco a poco cresc. or cresc. poco a poco, usually followed by dashes across many bars, and sometimes reprinted or extended with sempre along the way. It ends at the dynamic it arrives at, which may be a long way off.

Abbreviations: poco a poco cresc., cresc. poco a poco

Also spelled: crescendo poco a poco

How Composers Use It

The slow-building crescendo: little by little, over a long span. It is the tool for long approaches — Bruckner’s swelling paragraphs, an ostinato that gathers weight. The danger is impatience, so start from a low dynamic, mark the destination clearly, and in a long span reprint cresc. along the way so players keep the pace of growth.

Example

Bruckner, Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, finale, flute 1, m. 79: “poco a poco crescendo”, written out in full two bars after a pp.

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