Trill

The alternation between two neighbours

The symbol library describes the trill as a rapid, regular alternation between the main note and the next higher note of the scale. Its speed depends on tempo and character.

Baroque and Classical

In the Baroque and up to the Classical period the trill mostly begins on the upper neighbour note; in the 19th century the main note became the usual start. That is one of the most important distinctions in ornamentation, because the notation looks the same in both cases. According to the library, Mozart's trills are notated very precisely; with Bach the player has to improvise in a stylistically informed way.

Trills at the close

Trills often mark cadences and closing figures, especially in concertos. That fits the dominant: a trill on the note before the close holds the tension audibly in suspense before the cadence resolves. The page Cadences shows how the arc of tension is built.

Examples from the sheet music archive

Piano

• Sonata facile, 1. Satz: Allegro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 545 · piano · 4 pages

  On the first page, in bar 4, there is a “tr” over a melody note in the right hand. The sign has no realisation marked, as is usual in Classical editions.

• Menuett B-Dur from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (1725), BWV Anh. 118 · piano · 1 page

  At the start of the second part, after the repeat signs, there is a “tr” over a note in the right hand. The score shows the sign without a realisation; the player has to know Baroque practice.