Performance Research EssayOrnamentation in Baroque

Music
Thepasthasanextensiveimpactandinfluenceonallaspectsofsociety.
Itisthroughthepastthatwelearnanddrawinspirationforhowtobetter
ourselvesincurrenttimes.ThisisextremelytrueinthecaseofMusic,
particularlytheclassicalmusicgenre.Itisimportantforperformerstouse
theirknowledgeoftraditionsandstyleswithindifferentperiodsofmusic
todeliverahistoricallyaccuratemusicalexperiencefortheaudience.
Ornamentationistheembellishmentofamelody;itisformedbyadding
notesorbymodifyingrhythmstoalreadycompletecompositionstomake
itmorepleasing.Theuseofornamentationandhowitisexecutedis
greatlyinfluencedbyhistoricalpracticesandstyles,itisdrastically
importantforornamentstobehistoricallyandstylisticallyaccurateto
honourthebeautyofthepast.Ornamentationwasextremelysignificant
inBaroquemusic.
Notationunfortunatelycannotcapturetheexactintentionofthe
composer;howevercloseitis,thuscertainaspectsoftheperformance
werenotnotated.Composerswereonceinapositiontosupervise
performancesoftheirmusicandcoulddirectlyworkwiththeperformer
tospecifywhattheywanted.Astimehaspassedandnotationhas
progressedthatisnolongerthecase.Theperformernowhastheroleof
interpretingthenotationandtheirartisticchoicesshouldbedetermined
bytheperiodofthecomposition.1Thedacapoariawasextremely
popularintheBaroqueera.2Thedacapoariawascomposedinternary
formwithanABAstructure.Theexpectationoftheperformerwhen
repeatingtheAsectionwastouseornamentationtoshowofftheir
virtuosityandimagination.Duringtheseventeenthandeighteenth
centuriesitisthoughtthatsingerswerelikelytohaveneverperformeda
solopartasitwasnotated.3Theskilltoimprovisevariationsand
ornamentwasaskillexpectedfromallsolosingers.4Composerswould
oftencomposeariaswithasingerinmindandwouldcomposetofavour
1EncyclopediaBrittanica.MusicalPerformance.AccessedOct21,2015,
http://www.britannica.com/art/musicalperformance
2Randel,DonMichael,ed.(2003)"Aria,"inTheHarvardDictionaryofMusic.Cambridge,MA:
HarvardUniversityPress.(Author:"CG".)
3ConservatoryofMusic,LawrenceUniversity,AppletonU.S.A.ABreifHistoryofSinging:Opera
BecomesStandardized.AccessedOct21,2015,
http://www2.lawrence.edu/fast/KOOPMAJO/standard.html

thatparticularvoice,sotheseimprovisedornamentsbecameahighly
importantopportunitytoshowcasetheirvocalabilityandpersonal
strengths.5HandelsoperasforexampleonlyusedhighlytrainedItalian
virtuososuntil1735,thesesingersdidnotneedornamentsnotatedfor
themandtheywouldhavebeenoffendedifthecomposerdidinclude
them.PietroFrancescoTosiandJohannFriedrichAgricolawould
scrutinizesingersandcomposerswhosanktowritingoutornamentation
andembellishmentsinadvance,astheybelieveditshouldbe
improvised.6ThisiscontrastingtotheGermanandFrenchBaroque
composerswhoweremeticulousatnotatingornamentationsand
embellishments.7
Ornamentationssuchastrills,mordents,turns,appogiaturas,gracenotes,
passingnotesandmorewereallexpectedtobeaddedtothecomposition
bytheperformer.Theuseofvibratowasalsoconsideredtobean
ornamentintheBaroqueperiod.8Belowisadiagramofdifferenttypesof
Ornaments.

4Randel,DonMichael,ed.(2003)"Aria,"inTheHarvardDictionaryofMusic.Cambridge,MA:
HarvardUniversityPress.(Author:"CG".)
5ConservatoryofMusic,LawrenceUniversity,AppletonU.S.A.ABreifHistoryofSinging:Opera
BecomesStandardized.AccessedOct21,2015,
http://www2.lawrence.edu/fast/KOOPMAJO/standard.html
6Agricola,IntroductiontotheArtofSinging,212;andTosi,Opinioni,59.Tosidedicatedthistreatise
tothethirdEarlofPeterborough,whosewife,AnastasiaRobinson,wasoneofHandelsleadingopera
singersfrom171424.

7 Neumann, Performance Practices, 298.

8TakeNote,TeacherResources.ABreifGuidetoBaroquePerformancePractice.AccessedOct25,
2015,http://blog.sheetmusicplus.com/2014/05/01/abriefguidetobaroqueperformancepractice/
9TakeNote,TeacherResources.ABreifGuidetoBaroquePerformancePractice.AccessedOct25,
2015,http://blog.sheetmusicplus.com/2014/05/01/abriefguidetobaroqueperformancepractice/

ThereisalsoaNationalcharacterconnectedwithOrnamentation.For
exampletheBaroquemusicinItalyhadveryfloridOrnamentation,and
theGermanOrnamentationwasmorerigidincharacter.Thegreat
GermancomposerBachwouldwriteoutmanyofhisornamentations.
TheFrenchBaroqueMusicalsoseemedtohaveitsowncharacterwith
usuallyshortornamentationswithturnsandmordentsfrequentlybeing
usedonstrongbeatstorelieveorcreatetension.10Whenornamentingin
contemporarytimesitisimportanttoadheretotherulesof
ornamentationinthatparticularstyleofmusicforexampleindacapo
ariasonlythesimplestofornamentsshouldbeusedinthefirstrendition
oftheAsection.Oneofthereasonsforthiswassothatupontherepeat
theaudiencecouldunderstandwhatornamentswerebeingaddedasthese
werenotpresentinthefirstappearanceoftheA
section.11IntheBaroqueperiodsingerswouldalso
ornamenttheBsection,howevertheBsectionwas
notasoverlyornamentedastherepeatoftheA
section.OrnamentingtheRecitativeinthesearias
wasalsoconsideredratherinappropriateexceptfor
theoccasionalappoggiatura.12Thediagramtothe
rightdepictshowanappoggiaturaisoftennotated,if
notatedinascoreandhowitisdeliveredinpractice.13
Trillsarearapidalternationbetweenthenotatednoteandtheoneabove.
Baroquetrillsshouldstartontheuppernoteofthenotesyouaretrilling
between.14Mordentsarearapidalternationbetweenthenotethatis
indicatedbythecomposerandthenoteaboveorbelow.Thediagramto
theleftdepictsthemarkingsforaMordent.Thenoteontheleftwiththe
10TakeNote,TeacherResources.ABreifGuidetoBaroquePerformancePractice.AccessedOct
25,2015,http://blog.sheetmusicplus.com/2014/05/01/abriefguidetobaroqueperformancepractice/
11MUS645SeminarintheBaroqueEraDr.DeborahKauffmanUniversityofNorthernColorado
Greeley,CO.ElvadineR.SeligmannUnderstandingtheArtofVocalEmbellishmentinHandels
OperaSeria.December5,2007

12 Ibid., 42; Donington, A Performer s Guide, 163 & 178; and

Winton Dean and J. Merrill Knapp, Handel s Operas 1704-1726
(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995), 32.
13Vox3.Collective.LauraPintoTastefulTrills:PerspectivesonOrnamentingVocalMusic.
August30,2011.https://vox3collective.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/tastefultrillsperspectiveson
ornamentingvocalmusic/

14 Ronald Roseman, Baroque Ornamentation, Accessed on Oct 25,

2015.
http://www.idrs.org/publications/controlled/Journal/JNL3/baroque.htm
l

wavedlineaboveitdemonstratesthatthemordentshouldgotothenote
above,whereasthenoteontherightwiththeline
throughthewavedlinesymbolindicatesthatthe
mordentshouldinvolvethenotebelow.15Inaturn
aperformergoesbetweentheindicatednote,the
noteaboveandthenotebelowtodecorateit.A
turnisnotatedbyanSshapethatlieshorizontally
ontopofthestave.Thepositionoftheturn
symbolindicateswhereinthebartoturn.Thebelowdiagramdepictson
thelefttheturnsymbolsandontherighthowtheturnmaybeexecutedin
thisparticularinstance.16

Themoodofthemusicalpiecedrasticallyaffectsthetypeof
ornamentationaperformerwillchoose.Forexamplealongappoggiatura
bringsgravitytothedramaofmelancholywhereasshortappoggiaturas
addalivelybuoyantqualitytopiecesthatarelighter.Theperformermust
chooseornaments,whichreflectandenhancethemoodofthemusical
piece.17
Inorderforaperformerusedeliverastylisticallyandhistorically
accurateperformancetheymusthaveanunderstandingandrespectfor
thepastandharnessthistohonourthebeautyofthepast.BaroqueMusic
isknownforitsOrnamentation,whenperformingBaroquemusicitis
importanttounderstandhowtoornamentthismusic.Musiciansofthe
Baroqueperiodwerehighlytrainedintheartofimprovisationand
improvisingornaments,aswearenotlivinginthattimeorconstantly
surroundedbythatcultureandmomentoftimeitisimportantto
historicallyeducateoneselfinthecustomsofBaroqueOrnamentation.
ThedecapoariawaswildlypopularintheBaroqueera,intheABA
structuretheperformerwasexpectedtousetherepeatoftheAsectionto
15Vox3.Collective.LauraPintoTastefulTrills:PerspectivesonOrnamentingVocalMusic.
August30,2011.https://vox3collective.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/tastefultrillsperspectiveson
ornamentingvocalmusic/
16RonaldRoseman,BaroqueOrnamentation,AccessedonOct25,2015.
http://www.idrs.org/publications/controlled/Journal/JNL3/baroque.html
17MUS645SeminarintheBaroqueEraDr.DeborahKauffmanUniversityofNorthernColorado
Greeley,CO.ElvadineR.SeligmannUnderstandingtheArtofVocalEmbellishmentinHandels
OperaSeria.December5,2007

showofftheirvirtuosityandmusicalflarewiththeirimprovised
ornamentations.Ornamentationssuchastrills,mordentsandturnswere
tobeaddedtothecompositionbytheperformer.Theuseofvibratowas
alsoconsideredtobeanornamentintheBaroqueperiod.Itisgreatly
importantthatperformersnotonlyornamenttastefullyandstylistically
butalsothattheychooseornamentsthatreflectthemoodandsubjectof
themusicalpiece.Ornamentsshouldenhancethedramaticandemotional
powerofthemusicandbeusedasatoolbytheperformertoaddtheir
owntouchofmagictothepiecewhilestayingtruetothestyleitwas
composedin.

Bibliography
EncyclopediaBritannica.MusicalPerformanceAccessed21Oct.2015.
http://www.britannica.com/art/musicalperformance
ConservatoryofMusic,LawrenceUniversity,AppletonU.S.A.ABreif
HistoryofSinging:OperaBecomesStandardized.Accessed21Oct.
2015.http://www2.lawrence.edu/fast/KOOPMAJO/standard.html
TakeNote,TeacherResources.ABreifGuidetoBaroquePerformance
Practice.AccessedOct25.2015.

http://blog.sheetmusicplus.com/2014/05/01/abriefguidetobaroque
performancepractice/
Randel,DonMichael,ed.(2003)"Aria,"inTheHarvardDictionaryof
Music.Cambridge,MA:HarvardUniversityPress.(Author:"CG".)
Agricola,IntroductiontotheArtofSinging,212;andTosi,Opinioni,59.
TosidedicatedthistreatisetothethirdEarlofPeterborough,whosewife,
AnastasiaRobinson,wasoneofHandelsleadingoperasingersfrom
171424.
Neumann,PerformancePractices,298.
MUS645SeminarintheBaroqueEraDr.DeborahKauffman
UniversityofNorthernColoradoGreeley,CO.ElvadineR.Seligmann
UnderstandingtheArtofVocalEmbellishmentinHandelsOpera
Seria.December5,2007
Ibid.,42;Donington,APerformersGuide,163&178;andWinton
DeanandJ.MerrillKnapp,HandelsOperas17041726(Oxford:
ClarendonPress,1995),32.
Vox3.Collective.LauraPintoTastefulTrills:Perspectiveson
OrnamentingVocalMusic.August30,2011.
https://vox3collective.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/tastefultrills
perspectivesonornamentingvocalmusic/
RonaldRoseman,BaroqueOrnamentation,AccessedonOct25,2015.
http://www.idrs.org/publications/controlled/Journal/JNL3/baroque.html