Definition
The acciaccatura and the appoggiatura are two ornamental notes written in small print before the main note. They look alike, but they have opposite functions and effects:
- the acciaccatura has its small note slashed by a diagonal stroke and is extremely short: a quick “crush” that almost blends with the main note;
- the appoggiatura has no slash and is long: it is played on the beat, takes part of the value of the main note, and creates a dissonance that then resolves.
The acciaccatura
- Duration: as short as possible. The main note keeps almost all of its value.
- Position: in modern practice it is played just before the beat; in 18th-century music often on the beat, almost simultaneous with the main note.
- On the harpsichord and in Scarlatti's sonatas the term also indicates dissonant notes played together with the chord and released immediately, which “crush” the harmony.
- Several slashed or beamed small notes form a multiple acciaccatura (or ornamental group), always quick.
The appoggiatura
- Classical duration rules (18th century):
- it takes half the value of a simple note;
- it takes two thirds of the value of a dotted note;
- if the main note is followed by a rest or tied, the appoggiatura can take the whole value and the main note moves to the rest.
- It is dissonant, falls on the strong beat or the strong part of the beat, and resolves by step, usually downward.
- Modern editions of Mozart and Haydn often write it out in full in normal notes, to avoid misunderstandings.
Double appoggiatura
Two small notes, one above and one below the main note (or two notes approaching by leap and step): they wrap around the arrival note before reaching it.
The appoggiatura in recitative
In 18th-century recitatives, when a phrase ends with two repeated identical notes on a feminine word ending, the first is sung as an appoggiatura from the upper note even if it is not written. It is a performance convention that Baroque and Mozart opera singers apply systematically.
Practical rules
- Look at the slash: slashed = quick, not slashed = long and leaned on.
- In Romantic and modern music even unslashed small notes are often played short: style is what counts.
- The appoggiatura should be accented and the resolution lighter: it is the gesture of a sigh.
- In MIDI the acciaccatura lasts 10 to 40 milliseconds and should be placed off the grid; the appoggiatura should be written with a real value.
Common mistakes
- Playing a Classical appoggiatura like an acciaccatura: the dissonance disappears and the phrase loses expression.
- Playing an acciaccatura too long: it becomes a real note and alters the rhythm.
- Accenting the resolution instead of the appoggiatura note.
Examples
- Scarlatti, Harpsichord Sonatas: harmonic acciaccaturas that make the chords percussive and sharp.
- Blues and boogie on the piano: the “crushed” Eb–E note over a C chord is an acciaccatura imitating the blue note of the voice.
- Rock and blues guitar: quick hammer-ons and slides before the note are instrumental acciaccaturas.
- Mozart arias: long appoggiaturas on accented words are the heart of vocal expression.
- Adele, “Someone Like You”: the chorus melody contains melodic appoggiaturas (non-chord tones on the beat that resolve by step), one of the reasons for its strong emotional impact.
How to use it in composition
- Use the appoggiatura to load an important note emotionally: you arrive at the right note by passing through a dissonance on the beat.
- Use the acciaccatura to add brilliance and a percussive character, especially in piccolos, xylophones, and dance-like melodies.
- In pop vocal writing, appoggiaturas on the downbeat of a chorus create “yearning”; acciaccaturas give riffs grit.
Exercise
- Play a long A with an appoggiatura from B (half the value) and then with an acciaccatura from B: describe the difference.
- Write out in full an appoggiatura on a dotted quarter note according to the two-thirds rule.
- Insert three appoggiaturas into the melody of a chorus of your own, on the most important words.
Connections
Ornaments; Trill; Mordent and turn; Appoggiatura, escape tone, anticipation, and changing tone; Non-chord tones; Ad-libs and vocal runs.