Groppo

What it means

The groppo, Italian for “knot,” is an old ornament consisting of four quick notes of equal length. These circle around a main note, for instance in the order main note, upper neighbour, main note, lower neighbour. As with the mordent, a note is thereby circled by quick alternating notes.

Musical use

The groppo belongs to the Italian ornament treatises of the 16th and 17th centuries, which were rich in vocal and instrumental ornaments. It is related to the later customary turn and is occasionally used in editions of early music as a name for short, circling figures. Today the term is rare and of interest mainly historically.

The groppo should be distinguished from the mordent, which consists of three notes and swings out to one side only, from the trill, which continuously alternates a note with the upper neighbour, and from the turn, which usually consists of four or five notes in a definite arrangement. The groppo is the archaic name for the figure circling around a note in four tones.

Performance practice

Play the groppo lightly and quickly so that the four notes appear as a single motion and the main note is not lost. Practise it slowly at first to secure order and evenness, and then let it run like a small swing toward the next note.