Poco crescendo

As Printed on a Score

Printed below the staff (above, for voices) as poco cresc. or un poco cresc., sometimes followed by dashes showing how long the swell lasts. It runs until the next dynamic mark. Do not read it as poco a poco cresc., which means little by little — a longer, gradual build.

Abbreviations: poco cresc., poco cresc, un poco cresc.

Also spelled: un poco crescendo

How Composers Use It

Poco cresc. asks for a small swell — enough to give a phrase direction without leaving its dynamic level. Use it to shape a line within one dynamic or to let an inner voice lean toward a peak. Mark what follows (the next p, an mf, a hairpin back down) so the player can judge how far ‘a little’ should go; without that, small crescendos tend to keep growing.

Example

Brahms, Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98, fourth movement, violin 1, m. 82: “poco cresc.” one bar after a p, with pp marked five bars later — a slight swell inside a single eight-bar variation of the passacaglia.

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