cre·scen·do / krəˈshendō/ • n. (pl. -dos or -di / -dē/ ) Mus. a gradual increase in loudness in a piece of music. ∎ Mus. a passage of music marked to be performed in this way. ∎  the loudest point reached in a gradually increasing sound: Deborah's voice was rising to a crescendo. ∎  a progressive increase in force or intensity. ∎  the most intense point reached in this; a climax.• adv. & adj. Mus. with a gradual increase in loudness.• v. (-does, -doed) [intr.] increase in loudness or intensity: the reluctant cheers began to crescendo.

crescendo (<) (It., abbreviation cresc.). Growing. Directive used by composers to indicate that a passage should gradually increase in loudness. Sometimes the direction is crescendo poco a poco, meaning to increase the loudness by degrees (little by little) or subito crescendo (suddenly increasing in loudness). One also speaks of ‘a crescendo’, meaning a striking example of this feature such as is found frequently in the mus. of Rossini. According to Dr Burney, the device was first used in Terradellas's opera Bellerofonte (London 1747): it was much exploited in the orch. mus. of J. Stamitz and his colleagues at the Mannheim court as the celebrated ‘Mannheim crescendo’. (Some writers betray their lack of mus. knowledge by using the phrase ‘rising to a crescendo’, which is obvious nonsense.) The opposite is diminuendo. See hairpins.

crescendo (mus.) direction for increase in loudness. XVIII. — It., prp. of crescere INCREASE.