Stringendo

Pressing

Stringendo comes from “stringere”, “to press, to draw together”. In music it asks for a gradual getting faster. Unlike a sober accelerando, stringendo has an expressive character: the music presses forward, the tension grows, often toward a climax. That is why stringendo often appears before a build-up or before the entry of a new, faster section.

Stringendo and accelerando

Both words ask for getting faster. Accelerando is the general, matter-of-fact instruction, stringendo adds the pressing, urgent quality. For performance this means: with accelerando it is enough to get faster evenly, with stringendo you should also build up the tension, for example with increasing intensity of touch or bow. Stringendo often appears together with a crescendo, without being the same thing.

Where it ends

The quickening lasts until the target tempo is reached or a new mark follows, such as “a tempo”, “tempo primo” or “più mosso”. If there is no such mark, it stays at the tempo reached afterwards.

Common mistakes

• Getting fast too early: Then there is no room left at the climax.
• Changing the tempo in jumps: Stringendo is a gradual quickening.
• Forgetting the tension: It should press on, not merely get faster.