Stretto

Stretto is a fancy musical term that describes when the timing of the music gets closer and closer together. It's kind of like when you're playing a game of tag with your friends and they start to get closer and closer to catching you. In music, this happens when different parts or instruments start playing the same melody, but each starts just a little bit after the last one.

For example, imagine you and your friend are both playing the same song on your musical instruments, but you start playing the first note, and then your friend starts playing that same note just a tiny bit later. Then, you play the second note, and your friend plays that same note just a tiny bit later than you played it. This makes the music sound really exciting and intense, like you're both racing to the end of the song.

Stretto is often used in classical music, especially in things like fugues, which are fancy musical compositions with a lot of different parts and melodies weaving in and out of each other. When composers use stretto in their music, it makes the whole thing sound more complex and interesting. So, next time you hear some fancy classical music, listen out for stretto!