Ornaments used by Bach

At his time Bach had made a table with various ornaments, with a name and with a version of the ornament written in notes. This table was called The Explication.

This was exceptional at because these things were supposed to be simply taught during a lesson, not on paper.

Since the Explication applies each ornament to a quarter note only, and that the application is only practical at a moderate tempo, it can only give a general indication for each ornament.

Rules:

• Ornaments always start on the beat
• they are played diatonically in the keys in force at the moment they occur

1. The trill

Played from the upper note and composed of a minimum of 4 notes, it’s interpretion is free and up to the performer.
Examples and more details are available on The Trill page.

2. Mordent

This “biting” ornament adds to the brillance and can help to accentuate the rythm. It generally is of more effect to play it very quickly.
The mordent and long mordent are explained more in detail on the mordent page (coming soon).

3. The trill with termination 

The termination of this ornament consists in fact of 2 closing notes connected to the trill and generally played at the same speed as the trill. A trill with a termination is also called a trill with suffix, trill with turned ending, or  trill and mordent. Read more details and explantions on the trill with termination page.

4. The turn

In Bach’s music the turn always begins on the note above the main note. According to C.P.E. Bach,  the turn is a miniature suffixed trill (with 4 notes instead of minimum 6).

The turn can also be placed between two notes. See the turn page for more details and examples.