The Rhetoric of Ornament: Embellishment and Affekt in the Baroque
For the Baroque musician, the score was not an absolute dogma but a roadmap for performance. Ornaments—or agréments, as the French called them—were not optional “decorations”; they were essential components of harmonic structure and emotional expression. They served to accent important notes, sustain the sound of instruments with rapid decay (like the harpsichord and the guitar), and, above all, to move the Affekt (the emotions) of the listener.
1. The Principle of Simultaneity: Timing is Master
The rule that most confuses modern musicians, accustomed to Romanticism, is the placement of the ornament in time.
- On the Beat: In the Baroque period, almost all ornaments (trills, appoggiaturas, mordents) begin exactly on the beat, not before it.
- Harmonic Function: Why on the beat? Because many ornaments create a dissonance against the bass. If you play the ornament before the beat, this tension is lost. The pleasure of the Baroque ear came precisely from hearing the “wrong” (dissonant) note strike with the bass and resolve immediately into the “right” note.
2. The Appoggiatura: The Soul’s Sigh
The appoggiatura is the “queen” of expressive ornaments. It exists not just to decorate, but to “lean” (appoggiare) emotional weight onto a note.
Rules of Duration (C.P.E. Bach)
- Duple Meter: If the principal note is a quarter note, the appoggiatura takes half its value. They sound like two eighth notes.
- Triple/Dotted Meter: If the note is a dotted half note (3 beats), the appoggiatura takes two-thirds of the value (2 beats), leaving only 1 beat for the resolution.
- The “Blessed Dissonance”: The appoggiatura should be played slightly louder than the resolution note. This creates the “tension and release” effect. On the guitar, this requires dynamic control (Lesson 13) so the resolution is a soft echo of the first note.
3. The Trill: Brilliance and Suspension
A Baroque trill is an oscillation that, unlike the trills of Chopin or Liszt, almost invariably begins on the upper auxiliary note.
- Upper-Note Start: If the score calls for a trill on A, you start by playing B. This creates a series of rhythmic suspensions that add brilliance to the cadence.
- Speed and Affekt: In an Adagio (slow), the trill can start slowly and accelerate gradually, like an emotional tremor. In a Gigue (fast dance), it should be electric and short.
- The Termination (Nachschlag): Many trills end with a “turn” (lower note and back to the principal). On the guitar, this requires extremely precise slur technique (Lesson 5) so all notes ring with equal volume.
4. Mordents and Turns: Articulation and Connectivity
If the appoggiatura is the sigh, the mordent is the rhythmic “pinch.”
- Mordent: A rapid oscillation to the lower note. It serves to provide attack. On the guitar, it is excellent for bass notes starting a section, giving the thumb a percussive, harpsichord-like quality.
- Turn (Gruppetto): A circular movement around the principal note (upper – principal – lower – principal). It brings elegance and fluidity, often used to connect melodic leaps.
5. Aesthetics: French Taste vs. Italian Taste
As a guitarist, you must know which “style” you are wearing.
- French Style (Couperin/Rameau): Aristocratic and detailed. Ornaments are written with precise symbols. Playing a French piece without following the composer’s ornament table is considered a serious stylistic error. It is the music of “etiquette.”
- Italian Style (Corelli/Vivaldi/Scarlatti): The music of “freedom.” The score is often bare. The performer is expected to know where to add trills and, in slow movements, to improvise rapid passages (passaggi) over long notes.
6. Practical Application: The Mechanical Challenge
The guitar has a limitation: notes decay quickly. Baroque ornamentation solves this technical problem through aesthetics.
- Sustain: A long trill helps keep the string vibrating on a note that would otherwise fall silent.
- Timbre (Lesson 14): Experiment playing ornaments sul ponticello for a metallic harpsichord effect, or dolce for a recorder-like sonority.
Execution Guide (Style Summary)
| Ornament | Aesthetic Function | Starting Note | Guitar Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appoggiatura | Expression / Sigh | Auxiliary (Upper/Lower) | Strong slur (hammer-on) |
| Trill | Brilliance / Sustain | Always the Upper Note | Rapid i-m or m-a alternation |
| Mordent | Rhythmic Emphasis | Principal Note | Quick double slur (pull-off/hammer) |
| Turn | Elegance / Flow | Upper Note | Circular finger movement |
Try This
Try the following practical exercise with an Appoggiatura:The Exercise Imagine a quarter note (1 beat) preceded by a small appoggiatura note. In the Baroque style, you do not “rush” the small note before the metronome click. Instead, you divide the time of the principal note in half.Short Example:
- Written: A small G note before a half-note F (2 beats).
- How to play: Play the G exactly on the downbeat for 1 beat, and resolve to the F on the second beat.
- Pro Tip: Try to make the transition from G to F very connected (legato), giving a slightly stronger touch to the first note and tapering off on the second. This creates the “sighing” effect typical of the style.