txtDefinition=Italian for \'93growing.\'94 In a {\uldb passage}{\v 90954} of music, the process of growing steadily louder over a 5-20 second period. From about 1770 the crescendo was a standard expressive device. The first example plays a mild crescendo from the slow {\uldb movement}{\v 151907}, while the second example plays a more dramatic crescendo from the {\uldb finale}{\v 82354}.