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A.1Supplement A, Ornaments and Abbreviations
Ornaments (1): Appoggiaturas
Here you'll learn to recognize and perform three ornaments: the appoggiatura, the double appoggiatura and the acciaccatura.
10 min8 questionsDanhauser § 268 to 271
We now move on to Supplement A. To complete the principles of music, Danhauser presents the ornaments that can be added to a piece, and the abbreviations used mainly in instrumental music. Let's begin with the ornaments.
General principles of ornaments
Ornaments, also called graces or grace notes, give a composition more variety, more charm, and even more vigor.
They are written as very small notes, or shown by signs.
They are placed before or after the main notes. A main note is any note in the piece to which an ornament is attached.
They never count in the measure. Instead, they borrow their value from the main note before or after them.
The main ornaments are the appoggiatura, the trill, the turn and the mordent. We'll take them one at a time, starting with the appoggiatura.
The appoggiatura
The appoggiatura, from the Italian “appoggiare”, to lean, is placed before a main note, one step above or below it, either a whole step or a half step. It is written as a small note, and its value is borrowed from that main note. As its name suggests, you must lean on it, stressing it more than the note that follows.
How long it lasts depends on the character of the piece. Usually, the appoggiatura and the main note share the written value equally: the appoggiatura takes half, and the main note the other half.
This is how it is written: small notes before half notes, or minims.Here is the effect: each appoggiatura takes half of the half note, that is a quarter note or crotchet, and receives the stress.
If the main note is dotted, the appoggiatura may take two thirds of its value.
This is how it is written: appoggiaturas before dotted half notes.And here is the effect: the appoggiatura takes two beats out of three.
In general, the shape of the small note shows how long it should last: a small quarter note is worth a quarter note, a small eighth note, or quaver, is worth an eighth note, and so on.
The double appoggiatura
The double appoggiatura consists of two small notes, one a step above and the other a step below the main note. Here too, its value is borrowed from the main note that follows. Depending on the tempo and character, you play it more or less quickly.
This is how it is written.Here is the first way to play it: the two small notes are short.And here is the second way: they take up half the value.
The acciaccatura (short appoggiatura)
The acciaccatura, which Danhauser calls the “short appoggiatura”, looks like a small eighth note whose flag is crossed by a small slanted stroke. You play it very quickly, and its value is borrowed from the main note that follows.
This is how it is written: small notes with a slash.Here is the effect: the small note is played very fast, almost at the same time as the main note.
Exercisein the method's spirit
Write out the effect of these appoggiaturas, in 2/4.
Solution
In measure 1, play a quarter note A, then a quarter note G, each taking half of the half note. In measure 2, play a quarter note C, then a quarter note B. In measure 3, the main note is a dotted quarter, so the appoggiatura E takes two thirds of it, a quarter note; D keeps an eighth note, and then comes the eighth rest.
Check your understanding
8 questions
1.
Do ornaments count in the measure?
2.
Where does the word “appoggiatura” come from?
3.
How far from the main note is the appoggiatura placed?
4.
An appoggiatura comes before a half note. What value does it usually take?
5.
Before a dotted note, the appoggiatura may take:
6.
How do you recognize an acciaccatura?
7.
The double appoggiatura consists of:
8.
Where does the appoggiatura place the stress?
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