Ornamentation

Ornaments are “extra” notes used to “decorate” a melodic line. Ornamentation makes music more interesting to listen to. Ornaments are very often seen in Baroque era music and as such it is important to be able to recognise the following ornaments:

1. Trill

- Rapid alternation between two adjacent notes (semitone or whole tone).

- Symbol: $tr$ or a wavy line.

2. Mordent

- Quick alternation between the main note and the note just below or above.

- Symbol: Horizontal zigzag line.

- Lower Mordent: Horizontal squiggle with a vertical line through it.

- Upper Mordent: Simple horizontal squiggle.

3. Turn

- Sequence: Play the note above → Play main note → Play the note below → Play main note.

- Symbol: Inverted S-like shape.

- Example: On C → D-C-B-C.

4. Appoggiatura

- Non-chord note delaying the main note (this longer than an acciaccatura).

- Symbol: Small grace note without a slash through the stem.

- Example: D before E → Play D (briefly) then E.

5. Acciaccatura

- A very quick, decorative note played just before the main note.

- Symbol: Small grace note with a slash through the stem.

- Example: Swift flick from D to E.

6. Glissando

- Rapid slide between two notes, hitting all pitches in between.

- Symbol: Diagonal or straight line between notes.

7. Arpeggio

- Playing notes of a chord in quick succession instead of together.

- Symbol: Vertical wavy line in front of the chord.

- Example: C-E-G played one after the other.

9. Vibrato

- Rapid pitch variation to add richness to a tone.

- Symbol: Often written as "vib." or shown with wavy lines.

An example of these ornaments played is shown below

This is a video showing the symbols and names of the ornamentations discussed, as well as how they sound!