accelerando

[ ak-sel-uh-ran-doh, -rahn-; Italian aht-che-le-rahn-daw ]

adverb

, Music.

1. gradually increasing in speed.

accelerando

/ ækˌsɛləˈrændəʊ /

adjective

1. (to be performed) with increasing speed

noun

1. an increase in speed

Word History and Origins

Origin of accelerando¹

1835–45; < Italian < Latin accelerandus, gerundive of accelerāre to speed up. See accelerate

Word History and Origins

Origin of accelerando¹

Italian

Example Sentences

Just as the familiar tune “In the Hall of the Mountain King” gradually builds speed “accelerando,” as the compositional notation is known, some birdsong does too, like that of the nightingale.

From New York Times

“He was ready,” Hughes wrote, “with big rallentendos when they were needed for expansive lifts and with accelerandos when fleet footwork was involved.”

From Washington Post

He will add accelerandos, add ritardandos; he will change things in his own piece.

From New York Times

On Friday, during the elaborate “Fledermaus” overture there were moments of shaky coordination; a few accelerandos started out tentatively before settling into a groove.

From New York Times

Mr. Fischer is of this second school, and here he displayed a malleable pulse, amply yet sensibly using driven accelerandos and aching rubatos.

From New York Times

More About Accelerando

What does accelerando mean?

Accelerando describes a tempo that is gradually increasing in speed.

In music, accelerando tells a musician to play increasingly faster. Typically, music’s speed, or tempo, is denoted in beats per minute (BPM). When the BPM changes, the tempo of the music instantly changes. But when a tempo change is marked with an accelerando command, it will gradually increase over the notes indicated rather than changing instantly.

Accelerando commands are often used in music to create a sense of urgency, excitement, or increasing emotion as the tempo increases.

Example: We still need to work on that accelerando section because some of the instruments are dragging.

Where does accelerando come from?

The first records of the term accelerando come from around the 1830s. It is an Italian term that comes from the Latin accelerāre, meaning “to speed up.” 

In the Western world, languages use Italian terms for music. In addition to accelerando, you might hear ritardando, meaning “becoming gradually slower,” crescendo, meaning “rising in volume,” and staccato, meaning “light and sharp,” among many others.

You might also hear accelerando used outside of music as an exaggerated or playful way to tell someone to speed up what they are doing. While this is especially used by musicians, who would be most familiar with the term, it might be used by anyone who’s familiar with it.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to accelerando?

• accelerandos (plural)

What are some words that share a root or word element with accelerando?

• accelerate
• accelerated reader
• accelerating universe

What are some words that often get used in discussing accelerando?

• music
• speed
• tempo

How is accelerando used in real life?

Accelerando is most frequently used in the context of music, especially as a part of music theory or as a direction.

Filmmakers, composers, and playwrights carefully author the time dimension of their work. The feeling of a pregnant pause and an accelerando comes from viewers' experience of passing time. Those mediums express a few hours’ evolving experience—what about days, months, years? 👇

— Andy Matuschak (@andy_matuschak) February 8, 2020

The crescendo and accelerando of “I Want You” always been interesting. Like a heart racing.

— 🪩🆃🆁🆄🅳🆈🪩 (@thetrudz) May 10, 2020

The accelerando in Come On Eileen always gives me such anxiety

— Timson (@tim2party) November 7, 2017

 

Try using accelerando!

Is accelerando used correctly in the following sentence?

Tamica added an accelerando to her composition because she wanted a slow, steady pace.