The piece starts out in and stays in mezzo-forte for 8 measures. Then in the 9th measure it goes to fortissimo for 2 beats. There is then a long roll that is marked with a cresendo from piano to forte. So my question is about the note that follows that cresendo roll. Do I keep playing forte (where the crescendo ended), does it go back to fortissimo which was where it was at just before the crescendo or does it go back to mezzo-forte which was designated at the start of the peice?
Unless otherwise indicated, remain at the last dynamic indicator. Think of them as speed limit signs. They govern what follows in general.
One last question, there are crescendo and decresendo symbols that basically touch each other. I understand that means to get louder and then bring the volume back down. But the cresendo starts at piano and the decrescendo ends at forte. It looks like this (albiet the cresendo marks are obviously longer).
p<>f
So does that mean it starts out soft, get REALLY loud in the middle and ends up just loud?
Well, define REALLY loud. See below for more...
So if I had a p<>p would it still hit the same volume in middle as the p<>f would in the middle?
Unless indicated differently, I would say yes. If there is no dynamic indicator at the apex of the crescendo, then there may be room for interpretation. If it's a fairly short roll, then you can expect the rate of rise to be more like a swell. It's the dynamic motion that defines the form of the phrase, not necessarily a volume target that must be reached.
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