Grace note

What it means

Vorschlag designates one or more small notes placed before a main note. It is the umbrella term for a whole group of ornaments that differ considerably in duration and execution.

Above all two forms are to be distinguished. The short appoggiatura, Italian acciaccatura, is played as fast as possible and takes almost no time from the main note. The long appoggiatura, Italian appoggiatura, takes a considerable part of the main note's duration, mostly half, and forms with it a suspension with a subsequent resolution. If the figure consists of several stepwise notes, one speaks of a slide (Schleifer).

Its counterpart is the Nachschlag, which is placed after the main note.

In the notation

Appoggiatura notes are notated as small notes before the main note, mostly connected by a slur. A crossed-through flag marks the short appoggiatura, an uncrossed one the long one — a distinction that only becomes generally usual in the nineteenth century. In older music the notation says nothing about the duration, and the execution follows rules that depend on period and region.

Musical use

Appoggiatura notes belong to the basic stock of melodic writing from the Baroque into the Romantic era. The long appoggiatura is more than mere ornament: it produces a dissonance on an accented beat and thus belongs to the harmony of the setting. The short one gives a note sharpness and emphasis. In eighteenth-century vocal music, appoggiaturas were often also added where they are not notated.

A distinction is made between the long and the short appoggiatura. It is engraved small.

Performance practice

Clarify first whether a short or a long appoggiatura is meant; the whole effect depends on it. With the long one, accent the appoggiatura note and let it resolve into the main note; with the short one, accent the main note. Check whether the appoggiatura should lie on or before the beat. And with older music, consult the edition's preface before committing yourself.