decrescendo

A decrescendo, also called diminuendo, is a dynamic marking in Western music notation that indicates a gradual decrease in loudness over a specified distance in the score. It serves to shape musical phrases, create contrast, and guide expressive performance. In notation, it is typically shown either with a hairpin mark that starts wide and narrows as it extends (the decrescendo hairpin), or with the Italian word decrescendo and the abbreviations dim. or decresc. depending on the edition.

Origin and usage: The term comes from Italian decrescere, meaning to decrease. The concept and term became standard in the Classical era and continue in Romantic and contemporary scores. It is essentially the reciprocal of crescendo, which marks increasing loudness.

Application: Decrescendos are applied across a passage, from a given dynamic to a softer dynamic such as p or pp, and can be used by singers and instrumentalists to phrase music with diminishing intensity. They may appear over a single long note (a gradual taper within the note when written across a lengthy note) or, more commonly, across several measures.

Notes: In practice, performers interpret the marking in relation to tempo, texture, and articulation; decrescendo can lead into a new dynamic marking or a change in mood.