Meaning of Acciaccatura in Music
Acciaccatura is a musical ornamentation technique characterized by the momentary playing of a note just before the main note. It is a close cousin of the appoggiatura, featuring an auxiliary note (notated as a grace note with an oblique stroke through the stem) that is quickly resolved onto the main note, creating an instant sense of dissonance ).
The term "acciaccatura" is derived from the Italian word "Acciaccare," which means "to crush". When performing an acciaccatura, the musician quickly plays a short note just before the main note, generating an immediate sense of discord. This instantaneous dissonance contributes to enriching the emotional expression in music.
In sheet music, acciaccature are usually marked with small eighth notes with a slanting line and typically appear only in the melody or main theme.
Acciaccature emphasize the main note more strongly while appoggiature emphasize the auxiliary note. The origin of acciaccature can be traced back to the Baroque period and has continued to exist in music ).
In summary, an acciaccatura is a musical ornamentation technique where a short grace note is played just before the main note, creating a momentary dissonance and enriching the emotional expression in music ).
A short grace note, typically notated with a slash through the stem or flag that is a non-harmonic note sounded at the same time as the primary harmonic note or notes and either quickly resolves to the main note or is immediately released. The effect is that of dissonant notes being "crushed" together. This is also known as a short appoggiatura or crushed note. This ornament was common in 17th and 18th century keyboard performance.
See more about ornaments in the Appendix.
Example
Written Notation
Effect of Ornament
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In addition, you can familiarize yourself with the terms:
- [English] short appoggiatura
- [English] crushed note
- [French] pincé étouffé (m)
- [German] kurzer Vorschlag (m)
- [German] Zusammenschlag (m)
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