The Effective Diminuendo

I was practising Franck's Prelude, Chorale and Fugue today, but the most joyful moment comes at the postlude of the practising, Elgar's Salut d'amour (Greetings of Love).

(Here's a link to a violin and piano version of Salut d'amour. I was playing the solo version.)

  

At the third bar of the third stave, there's an effective diminuendo. (The crescendo before that was three-bar in length.)

When I was practising by memory, I extended the diminuendo through the third to fifth bar of the third stave. It still sounded nice, but the gist is lost. (the piano and dolce are also eliminated.)

In this case, play what the score says, please!

Try it on the piano, or try it in your mind, and you'll know what I mean.

That's why, students (and even teachers) should always practise with the score on the stand, at least on top of the piano for reference anytime.

Try it the wrong way, then try it the right way... it's magical.