Acciaccatura

What it means

The acciaccatura is a very short grace note. An auxiliary note is struck immediately before the main note and left again at once; it has no rhythmic value of its own and takes practically no time from the main note. In German it is also called Quetschvorschlag or kurzer Vorschlag (short grace).

The opposite term is the appoggiatura, the long grace: this takes a considerable part of the main note’s duration, often half, and is a melodic note in its own right. The two ornaments look similar in the notation but sound entirely different.

It is disputed whether the grace is played before or on the beat. Both occur and depend on style and era; in older music the grace lies predominantly on the beat, in later music more often before it.

In the notation

The acciaccatura is notated as a small note with a slashed flag before the main note, usually joined to it by a small slur. The slashed stem is the distinguishing mark against the appoggiatura, which appears as a small note without a slash. With chords the ornament may also consist of several notes.

Musical use

Short graces give a note sharpness and emphasis without altering the melody. They are widespread in every era, especially in dance-like music and in melodies of speaking character. On keyboard instruments they also produce a brief clash that gives the attack profile; from this effect the Italian name derives, which points to a crushing.

The name comes from the Italian acciaccare, to crush. On Baroque keyboard instruments it was sometimes struck together with the main note and released at once.

Performance practice

Play the grace as short as possible and let the main note follow immediately. Accent the main note, not the ornament — this is the most common mistake. See that the main note stays on its beat when the grace is played before it. And with older music check in the preface which execution the edition recommends.