What does crescendo mean in music?

crescendo means "gradually getting louder".

What type of musical term is crescendo?

crescendo is a dynamics term — see the Theory Practice glossary for the rest of the dynamics word list.

What grade is crescendo tested in?

crescendo first appears at Grade 2 in ABRSM, AMEB and Trinity music theory exams, and stays in the syllabus for every grade above that.

Music theory · Musical terms · Dynamics

crescendo — meaning in music

crescendo is a musical term meaning gradually getting louder. It is a dynamics marking, first tested at Grade 2 in ABRSM, AMEB and Trinity music theory exams. From that grade on, every written paper expects you to know it on sight.

Definition

gradually getting louder

DynamicsFirst tested: Grade 2

Translations

French	devenant progressivement plus fort
German	allmählich immer lauter
Italian	diventando gradualmente più forte
Spanish	gradualmente cada vez más fuerte
Chinese	逐渐变大

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All dynamics terms

calando crescendo decrescendo diminuendo forte fortissimo mezza voce mezzo mezzo forte mezzo piano morendo perdendosi pianissimo piano sforzando smorzando sotto voce