TECHNIQUE

BRANDON ACKER
BAROQUE ORNAMENTATION

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Lesson description

The baroque period, as it refers to European

classical music, lasted from 1600 to 1750. To play
any music from that period with authenticity, we
need to understand what ornaments were used,
where in a piece they were played, and how they
differed between countries in Europe. This lesson
breaks down the various types of ornaments and
showcases the best of the primary sources that
document how they were played. Brandon hopes
that after this lesson you’ll have an understanding of
how to improvise with these ornaments in any piece,
regardless of the time period!

Difficulty: intermediate

“Only add ornaments if it

increases the beauty of the
moment.”

-Brandon Acker
 About Your

Instructor
Brandon J. Acker is a soloist, collaborator and lecturer on the classical guitar
and early plucked instruments such as the lute, baroque guitar and theorbo.
Brandon has performed throughout the world with notable groups such as
the Leipzig Baroque Orchestra, Joffrey Ballet, the Chicago Philharmonic, the
Newberry Consort, Haymarket Opera Company, Opera Lafayette and Bella
Voce. In 2010, he received first place in the Society of Classical Musician’s
Competition. Brandon can be heard frequently on 98.7 WFMT and his CDs: “A
Wanderer’s Guitar,” Schubert lieder arranged for guitar and baritone, and
“Strung Up,” minimalist music arranged for harp and guitar.

OUTLINE
Introduction
Mordent

Quotes from Baroque Composers

Slide

Historical Authenticity
Where to Ornament

Two Types of Ornaments

Ornaments in Bach

Vibrato and Appoggiatura

Further Reading
Trill
INTRODUCTION
Brandon Acker is a specialist in the three baroque instruments shown below.
In order from left to right they are the ‘theorbo’, the baroque guitar, and the
lute. However, the subject of baroque ornamentation does not require a
period instrument to prove useful. Any music written from 1600 to 1750 in
Europe, the “baroque period” requires an understanding of the art of this
specialized ornamentation, even if playing on a modern guitar.

In the video lesson, Brandon demonstrates ornamentation with a

performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s ‘Oud Concerto in D Major’, performed on
baroque guitar. He adds many notes that were not written by Vivaldi. This is,
in fact, not distorting Vivaldi’s intention! Improvised ornamentation is an
intrinsic part of the baroque style, so to leave these notes out would fall short
of realizing the composer’s vision. The performers get to take part in the act
of composing itself.

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In fact, if we observe the architectural style of the baroque period, we see
that it was, too, heavily ornamented. Below is an image of the Hall of Mirrors
within the French Palace of Versailles. Perhaps it appears excessive to a
modern set of eyes, but it is nevertheless characteristic of a baroque artist’s
expectations.

QUOTES FROM BAROQUE

COMPOSERS
Many baroque composers left a number of treatises on the art of
ornamentation (often called tremolo). Some highlights include the following:

- “The places where one must make tremolo are infinite” (Alessandro
Piccinini, 1623)

- “Playing without trilli, or accenti, except in the places where quickness does
not permit them, is tasteless...” (Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger, 1640)

- “You can always do it, even if you don’t find it indicated.” (Gaspar Sanz,
1674)

- “Without (ornaments), even the best melody may appear empty and
meaningless.” (CPE Bach, son of JS Bach, 1753)

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HISTORICAL
AUTHENTICITY
Remember that since the baroque period covers such a large span of time
and distance, some names for ornaments refer to different things in different
pieces. While early musicians like Brandon rely heavily on primary sources
(manuscripts, treatises), they must also use some musical intuition since
there are no recordings to verify a particular approach. Similarly, we can
never be 100% sure of any historical knowledge. Adopt an open-minded
approach as you venture into the world of the baroque! Even Brandon learns
new things all the time.

TWO TYPES OF
ORNAMENTS
There are two general categories of
ornaments, as described by Johann
Joachim Quantz, a German baroque
flutist: ‘essential’ and ‘arbitrary’. The
essential ornaments include trills,
mordents, and appoggiaturas – they
are small graces that are added
throughout a piece, even if not
indicated. Arbitrary ornaments
involve more complex alterations of
the melody.

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This lesson focuses on the essential ornaments. For more on the arbitrary

ornaments, read Quantz ‘On Playing the Flute’, specifically his chapter ‘Of the

Manner of Playing the Adagio’.

VIBRATO AND
APPOGGIATURA
Used frequently by modern guitarists, vibrato was considered an ornament

by baroque musicians and was often notated with a sideways sharp sign.

Appoggiatura comes from an Italian word meaning “leaning”, or “fall”.

Appoggiaturas add a slight dissonance, creating more interest and

excitement in the music. To add one into a phrase, play a diatonic note

above or below the written note. In the case of the melody note F with a D

in the bass, a D minor chord is suggested, so play either a G or an E instead

of the F. Then, resolve into the F quickly. Usually, appoggiaturas are slurred,

with the written note played with a hammer-on or a pull-off. This results in

the added note being strong, and the written note being weak.

Appoggiaturas always start on the beat, delaying the written note. Below is

an example of an appoggiatura notated in the first measure of Robert De

Visée’s D Minor Sarabande (written around 1682). (This example also

contains mordents, see pg. 10).

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The appoggiatura can last for half the value of the written note, or two-thirds
of the written note if it is dotted. For example, an appoggiatura on a half note
would last a quarter note. An appoggiatura on a dotted half note would last
for two beats. Or, for a more rhythmic appoggiatura, play the initial note very
quickly.

For a beautiful example of notated

appoggiatura in French tablature,
Robert De Visee’s “Sarabande”
contains an appoggiatura in the
second measure. An E is written
within a D Minor chord which
resolves up to an F.

TRILL
Known as a ‘shake’ in English, ‘trillo’ in Italian, and ‘tremblement’ in French,
a trill was perhaps the most vital ornament within a baroque musician’s
skillset. A trill is a rapid succession between two pitches. Typically a trill
alternates between the written note and the note diatonically above it. In
Spain and Italy, the practice was to play a “main note trill”, starting with the
written note and playing a hammer-on for the note above. In France and
Germany, the practice was to play an “upper note trill”, starting with the note
above and playing a hammer-on for the note below.

There are numerous ways that baroque composers notated a trill, often
contradicting one another. Often it is a squiggly line, other times a capital ‘T’,
or ‘tr’, or even just a comma.
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The Spanish composer Gaspar Sanz (1640-1710) wrote that a trill should be
used every time you have an unoccupied finger on the first two strings. There
is no rule against trills on short notes! They simply need to be snappy and
quick. On long notes, trills should start slow and gradually speed up.

Modern guitarists often play cross-string trills, which sound impressive and
are often easier than using the left hand. It’s important to ask, however, how
baroque guitarists executed trills. In virtually every case, the left hand should
perform the baroque trill, and the notes are on the same string. If the tension
on your strings is too high, slurs of this type will become very difficult. Strings
on lutes and theorbos of the time had far less tension than contemporary
strings. Try out some low-tension strings yourself while playing baroque
pieces!

Below is an example of trills found in Canarios, a piece by Gaspar Sanz.

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MORDENT
In France, mordents are called “martellement” or “pincé”, and in Spain,
“mordente”. The root word is ‘mordere’, meaning ‘to bite’. We play a mordent by
playing the written note, pulling off to the note diatonically below, and then
hammering on to the written note again. It all happens very fast and the written
note is traditionally placed on the beat.

The symbol for a mordent is

sometimes a squiggly line (like a
trill), only with a vertical line
through it. An alternate type of
mordent is an “inverted mordent”,
where you pull off to the note
diatonically above the written note,
rather than the one below.
Technically, an inverted mordent is
also a short same-note trill!

Often, ornaments are combined to intensity their effect. For example, a mordent
added to an appoggiatura can make a phrase far more interesting (see pg 7 for
De Visée’s Sarabande).

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SLIDE
Also written as “schlifer” in German, or “coulé” in French, a slide adds

emphasis to a note. Begin a diatonic third below the written note, and

hammer-on two notes up to the written pitch. For example, if the melody

note were a G in the key of E minor, you would play an E, hammer-on an

F-sharp, and hammer-on a G. This is a useful effect at the beginning of a

phrase, especially at the start of a piece.

WHERE TO ORNAMENT
Good improvisation starts by developing a good musical instinct. This comes

from listening to many recordings on period instruments! It’s useful to watch

the score as you listen, and pay attention to which notes are improvised and

which ones are added by the performer. Some of the most valuable scores to

study are facsimilies, or photographs of original manuscripts. Identify which

symbols the composer writes and where they intend specific ornaments to

appear. These kinds of scores are available readily, for free, on imslp.com.

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ORNAMENTATION PRINCIPLES

- Generally, fast pieces need less ornamentation.

- Slow pieces can be heavilly ornamented, since they’re less busy.

- The penultimate note in a cadence often gets a trill.

- Appoggiaturas sound great for filling in the interval of a third.

- Ornaments can add extra dissonance to a melody, give sustain to long

notes, and give special emphasis to certain notes.

- If you’re struggling to perform ornaments, you might have added too many.

- Only add an ornament if it brings beauty to the music.

CAN WE ORNAMENT BACH?

For many guitarists, ornamenting the music of JS Bach can be daunting. His
music is revered by so many as symbolic of structural perfection. However,
just like any baroque composer, JS Bach’s music was performed with
ornamentation during his lifetime!

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 Bach is a bit different, however, in that he
was very explicit in his notation. Often,
he writes out ornaments in notes rather
than rely on a symbol or standard
practice. Luckily, this gives modern
musicians a chance to look into the
stylistic practices of the time. To put
together everything we learned in this
video, Brandon will discuss and perform
the “Loure” movement from JS Bach’s E
Major Partita (written around 1720).

Brandon will play this piece on a baroque lute, which is tuned to A = 415 Hz.
(Modern tuning is set at A = 440 Hz, meaning his instrument sounds about a
half-step low). To start we will look at the violin arrangement.

The eighth notes in this piece utilize a concept called ‘notes inégales’, where
the notes are ‘swung’ slightly, similar to modern jazz swing. Notice the
appoggiatura in the beginning of the fourth measure, where Bach delays the
resolution by a quarter note.

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The second half of this measure utilizes a ‘tierce coulé’, or a four-note
descending sequence of appoggiaturas that ends on the root.

Practice this four-measure sequence (using the score provided in the

tonebase edition), first without any ornaments. Then, add the two written
trills, remembering to start on the upper note. After that is comfortable, you
can begin trying various ornaments where you feel it is appropriate and
technically feasible!

Next, Brandon performs this movement as Bach arranged it for keyboard,

with many more appoggiaturas. However, there remains yet more room for
ornamentation!

Here are some ideas for adding even more ornamentation to the ‘Loure’:

- Turn the appoggiaturas into trills

- Add extra appoggiaturas (such as by ‘filling in’ any interval jumps with a
portion of a scale)

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FURTHER READING
To continue reading about ornaments during the baroque period, Brandon
suggests the following books. First are secondary sources, which are a bit
easier to digest, and primary sources come at the end.

- Performing Baroque Music on the Classical Guitar (Croton)

- A Performer’s Guide to Seventeenth-Century Music (Powell)

- The Notation is Not the Music (Kuijken)

- On Playing the Flute (Quantz, 1752)

- Any writings by Georg Muffat, François Couperin, Wolfgang Mozart, Thomas

Mace, CPE Bach, and more!

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RESOURCES

Martha Masters’s Lesson on Baroque Aesthetics in Scarlatti Sonata K.213

In a three part series, Martha Masters dives into one of Scarlatti’s most

thoughtful pieces, offering guiding principles for baroque interpretation.

Sanel Redzic’s Lesson on Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007

Among his most-played compositions, Bach’s Cello Suite comes with a host

of fascinating challenges and applications of baroque principles.

NOTES

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