Terraced dynamics

Terraced dynamics, a distinctive feature of Baroque music, simply means a sudden change in tempo or volume without gradual crescendos and decrescendos. The harpsichord, the modern keyboard instrument of the era, could only play forte (loud) or piano (soft), but could not crescendo or decrescendo in between, and so a sudden shift in dynamics was an inherit quality of music that employed it's accompaniment.<br>