Advertisement

Advertisement

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


noun

  1. an increase in speed
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of accelerando1

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of accelerando1

Italian
Discover More

Example Sentences

It breaks out again vivacissimo accelerando when Miss Sally (whom we allude to) wakes up, and doesn't appreciate Nestlé's milk.

The mute symphony of the snow was played imperceptibly accelerando.

Accelerando, affrettando (this term implies some degree of excitement also), stringendo, poco a poco animato.

Or we can gradually increase or decrease our tempo, creating accelerando and rallentando effects.

But he did not get to the direction accelerando, for he stopped short, and said abruptly, "Well—what next?"

Advertisement

Discover More

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?

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

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.

 

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.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


accel.accelerant