Proper Use of Crescendo

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hello, this is Linda from Fort Worth, Texas.

Hi, Linda. Welcome to the program.

Thank you.

What have you got for us?

Well, I have a pet peeve.

My pet peeve is the misuse and abuse of the word crescendo.

-huh.

Crescendo.

-huh.

I’m a professional musician,

So I come to this with a working practical knowledge of that word,

But I’m seeing more and more it’s being used in a way that’s really incorrect.

So you’re a professional musician.

May we ask what music you play or what kind of instrument are you singing?

Yes, I’m a retired symphony orchestra musician.

I’m a bassoonist.

Excellent.

So as a professional musician, tell us about the term crescendo.

What does it mean to you?

The term crescendo means an increase in the volume or the intensity.

And it’s either written out, the word crescendo or an abbreviation,

Or it’s indicated in the music with what we call hairpins, like a V on its side.

I never heard it called hairpins.

It’s like one of those less than signs, only it’s really big, right?

Really big and long?

Yeah, right, right.

I mean, we’re kind of called a hairpin.

That’s great.

Thank you for that bit of…

That’s what we call them, hairpins.

And sometimes you’ll see, often actually, you’ll see a crescendo and then a diminuendo,

Which is the decrease in the sound or intensity.

And so when you see those two indications together,

It looks like two hairpins facing each other on their side.

So that’s where it comes from.

Oh, that’s great.

I love hearing professionals talk about their work when I know nothing about it.

We sure do.

We’re fanning ourselves.

This is really cool.

Grant’s making a note.

I’m fanning myself.

So we have the problem here where what’s used in a professional environment has become a little misshapen when it’s used by people outside that environment, right?

Yes, because the way it’s used outside the environment, it’s often used as, oh, it is the peak or the climax, what would actually be the end of the crescendo, rather.

Because the crescendo is a process of getting to that peak or climax,

And instead it’s often misused to say, for instance, the noise in the room rose to a crescendo

When actually it’s the crescendo that got the noise to that point.

Exactly.

That rose to, yeah.

Right.

I think, Linda, what’s happening is that people have lost sight or never saw the Latin roots of this word.

If you pull it apart, you see that it’s related to words.

It has to do with growing, and it’s related to words like increase.

Exactly.

And another word that crescendo is related to is crescent moon.

You know, it gets really little.

Exactly.

And then it’s crescent.

It’s getting bigger and bigger.

So I see completely what you’re saying,

And I like what grammarian Brian Garner has to say about the use that you dislike.

He refers to that as woolly-minded, and I like that, you know.

That’s good.

You with me on that?

I am with you, yeah.

To me, it seems like if you just hear the word, it’s a very appealing, it’s an attractive word.

Musical word.

And so I can understand how, yes, a musical word indeed.

And I can understand how a writer would say, ooh, that sounds great, I’m going to use that.

And then wind up not only misusing it a bit,

But missing the opportunity to get the most out of the word,

To get the crescendo out of the word crescendo, right?

Bingo, bingo.

That’s right.

It’s a seductive word.

I think so.

And the truth is that writers as fine as F. Scott Fitzgerald

And William Faulkner have been seduced by that word

And used it in the way that you and I would say is incorrect.

So, Linda, I think you’re right.

There is a crescendo of people using crescendo in this way,

But if you want to be really precise about it,

Use crescendo to describe the process rather than the end result.

We appreciate your musician’s perspective on this, and thanks for calling.

Sure. It was a pleasure. It was really fun.

Okay. Thanks a lot, Linda.

Thanks, Linda. Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

Thank you. Bye.

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