Music: decrescendo vs diminuendo

The tutor clears up an issue he’s wondered about for years.

As a kid I was trained in music. Two of the first terms we learned were crescendo and diminuendo. Crescendo meant getting gradually louder, while diminuendo meant the opposite: the the gradual change from loud to quiet. Others I’ve talked to agree they were taught the same.

Since about ten years back, I don’t hear people say diminuendo; instead, they say decrescendo. While the term makes sense, why has it replaced diminuendo? With the curiosity of an academic, I resolved to find out.

According to the website the-difference-between.com, diminuendo actually means the mark that indicates gradual change from loud to quiet, or else it can point to a passage of music over which the volume adjusts gradually from loud to quiet. The actual trend of going from loud to quiet is decrescendo.

The distinction between diminuendo and decrescendo is subtle enough that I can understand why, as kids, some might only have been taught diminuendo.

HTH:)

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.

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