To

As Printed on a Score

Links a starting state to a target: in tempo and dynamic phrases (accel. to Presto, cresc. to ff), in timpani and harp retunings (B♭ to B♮), and in instrument changes (change to piccolo). It is printed where the change starts; the named goal holds once it is reached.

How Composers Use It

A simple way to name the destination of a process, so performers need not guess how far to go. For timpani retunings, give the old and new pitches and enough rest to make the change, and avoid retuning a drum just before an exposed soft entry. In gradual changes, print the goal again where it arrives, so the target is visible at that bar.

Example

Holst, The Planets, “Mars, the Bringer of War”, timpani 1, m. 84: “B♭ to B♮” asks for one drum to be retuned; timpani 2 prints “A to G♯” two bars earlier.

Related Terms