Stringendo

Stringendo (from the Italian "stringere," to tighten or press) directs the performer to gradually increase the tempoTempoThe speed at which a piece of music is performed.View full entry →, but with a specific character of mounting tension and urgency that distinguishes it from a simple accelerandoAccelerandoGradually getting faster.View full entry →. Where accelerando is a neutral increase in speed, stringendo implies emotional intensification — a sense of being propelled forward, of events rushing toward a climax.