Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner appogiaturas (grace notes) in Mozart

are not really played as appogiaturas (many of them). They take the value of the following note.

Why, then, did he write them as grace notes?

Nathan Broder offers two suggestions in his introduction to the Mozart Sonatas:

(and I'm summarizing a lot)

[1] Quite often the appogiatura (grace note) is not actually a part of the chord; it is a "suspension" note that forms a dissonance with the bass. So, Mozart wrote them as small notes to show the chord progression more clearly: it is the "big" note after the appogiatura that is the chord note, not the "small" grace note.

[2] Even in Mozart's time (and into the 19th century), it was very common for performers to add their own ornaments to the music. In order to prevent them from adding grace notes in certain spots, Mozart put his own grace notes in -- even though they aren't played as grace notes, they suggest to the performer not to add an additional one (played as a grace note) on their whim.

Thoughts? Other ideas?

Thank you for posting this. I can remember years ago that I was very confused regarding these little notes, usually NOT crossed out as a grace note. I am sure that this may answer many people's questions.

I think they may also be there as an accent of sorts, as they are usually (if not always, I can't remember) on a dissonant note, which usually should be somewhat accented (phrased off also).

Hi Sam,

Your summary is excellent. I sometimes play them as acciaturas instead of appogituras (spelling). Like anything else, it depends upon the context.

John

I think Sam has got it right. During the baroque era, when figured bass was widely used, it was necessary to clearly differentiate the chordal note from the suspension note. I’m guessing that this notation device simply held on well into the classsical period, even though there was no longer a need for it.

As for the "little notes" being called "grace notes:" my sense is that the term "grace note" did not come into existence until the first third or so of the 20th century. The term was probably coined to indicate the ornamentation that Bing Crosby used in his recording of “Galway Bay,” or maybe John McCormack's recording of popular Irish favorites like "I Met Her in the Garden Where the Praties Grow." There's something Irish about those little notes called "grace notes," and I'm not convinced that they are integral part of the nomenclature of classical music.

The term "accaciatura," which may be the term John is referring to above, was taught to me as a vocal ornamentation--or, not so much an ornamentation as a tonal device. You hear it when sopranos need to project a lower note in their register, say middle C, and then jump up an enormous interval, as much as two octaves. The soprano will take the middle C in a chest voice, and switch to a head voice for the higher note. The "Queen of the Night Aria" from the Magic Flute is rife with musical situations that call for an "accaciatura," as I understand the term.

Tomasino