Ribattuta
Baroque ornament: repeated, accelerating alternation of a note with its upper neighbour, often as a preparation for a trill.
What it means
The ribattuta (Italian for "beating again") is a baroque ornament in which a note alternates repeatedly with its upper neighbour and gradually becomes faster. It often serves as the preparation of a trill: first the two notes alternate in slow motion, then the motion accelerates until it passes into the actual trill.
In the notation
In notation the ribattuta is often written out, and in baroque ornament tables it appears as a sign of its own or in connection with the trill. Sometimes only the term stands above the note.
Musical use
The ribattuta is found above all in Italian and German music of the 17th and 18th centuries, in singing and instrumental playing. It gives cadences momentum and makes the trill an event. Terminology and exact execution are not uniform in the historical sources.
The ribattuta should be distinguished from the simple trill, whose alternation is even from the start, from the chain trill, in which several trills are strung together, and from the tremolo, the rapid repetition of one note.
Performance practice
Begin the ribattuta slowly and accelerate evenly until it flows into the trill. Keep the attack clear so that the intensification remains audible. When in doubt, prefer a restrained tempo and check the source from which the piece comes.