Batterie
The rapid breaking up of a chord in a fixed pattern, usually light or detached, distinct from an evenly ordered arpeggio.
What it means
Batterie refers to a playing figure in which the notes of a chord are struck not simultaneously but in succession, following a specific, often irregular pattern rather than simply running from bottom to top or the reverse.
The term comes from French lute and keyboard music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, where such broken-chord figures were a characteristic stylistic device.
Musical use
Batterie figures appear mainly in Baroque and Classical lute, harpsichord, and keyboard music, where they create a shimmering, often dance-like effect and rhythmically animate chords without requiring all notes to sound at once.
It should be distinguished from the arpeggio, which runs through the notes of a chord in an orderly, usually evenly ascending or descending sequence. In batterie, by contrast, a distinct, often irregular figure governs the order of attack.
Performance practice
When playing batterie figures, pay close attention to the exact rhythmic shape of the prescribed pattern rather than letting it run evenly like an ordinary arpeggio. A light, shimmering touch supports the dance-like character of this figure.