Notes for a student, Telemann G minor Fantasy. The thing that makes the most difference is letting go, lifting the sound to highlight rather than pressing down for length. Also, aligning interpretation with how the instrument sounds best. F natural on the baroque flute is not a naturally strong note, so replace volume with precision will often be the much wiser and more musical choice. 

Practicing letting go - put away your flute and do a sigh. Notice how you're letting go the air, if we could draw it, it would be kind of a bulge in the beginning, followed by a more narrow wisp of sound. Now try to replicate that in flute playing, although it's true that you will need to maintain a certain tension in order to carry on the phrase. However, it requires a lot less than you think and you'd gain much more expression by reducing. Less is more. The minimum for the maximum. 

(from Boismortier's Op. 35, left: Bourée en Rondeau in B minor, right: Rondeau "Les Charites" in E minor

One ornamentation question I get asked every now and then is about these two symbols in Boismortier's music: the plus (+) and the squiggle. They both indicate a trill, but why the two different symbols?

I used to answer that pluses in Boismortier tend to be found on longer note values, while squiggles on shorter ones. Whether the note value is considered as long or short is relative to the meter of the music. This generally indicates that pluses are for longer trills and squiggles are for shorter, quicker trills.

However, this passage from his B minor Suite Op. 35 struck a bell for me and I have now a more in-depth answer. You see both signs on the same half-note value. What does Boismortier want to tell us in this case then??

After some thought, I'd define the difference more clearly as having to do with the IMPORTANCE of the trill and the CHARACTER of the appoggiatura. In both cases we'd ALWAYS start from the note above. As far as I've seen, pluses are found at places where there's a harmonic significance, perhaps a cadence or a dissonance. Places where Boismortier probably wants us to do a more PRONOUNCED appoggiatura. Slightly longer, CLEARLY AUDIBLE, LEANING into the dissonance and perhaps yearning or sighing in expression. Squiggles are thus more DECORATIVE and while they can still carry meaning in terms of affect and expression, the appoggiatura should be shorter, sometimes to the point that it's hardly audible depending on speed and the notational value.

In the case of this B minor Bourée (above left), the (+) is thus found on the cadential trill (more harmonic significance), and the squiggle is on the downbeat before. Boismortier wants us to differentiate these two trills so that we don't end up playing them the same way. Both are ornamental but carry different meanings and have separate flavors. Because baroque music is all about CONTRASTS, DETAILS, LIGHT AND SHADOW. Balance something light with something more weighted, have something more passing followed by something more emphasized. One is more electrifying and then it stretches out a bit. Try it this way and then compare it with playing both half notes with equal-sounding trills - which one sounds more interesting? Which one glues your feet to the ground as opposed to taking a joyful leap?

Take another look at the Rondeau "Les Charites" (above right). We again see the cadential trill with a plus, and the squiggle at the resolution (on a quarter, which is a long-ish note value in 3/8). Boismortier wants us to be sure to do a light trill (shorter appoggiatura, less pronounced) on the resolution, which makes sense because it's the end of a phrase and a resolution should have a sense of relief. And while it's entirely possible to do a more obvious appoggiatura on a resolution, that would generally indicate a different affect, perhaps more pathos, something more serious. That would not fit so well here as, the name indicates, this is a movement about charm and grace. So go for a gentle, light trill, and not too long (4 notes suffice!) and make sure it's in absolute diminuendo. It should almost sound like simply some kind of wavering in the air.

So I actually no longer think that these two symbols have so much to do with the LENGTH of the note/of the trill, but very much to do with how we approach the APPOGGIATURA, which will give different meanings to the ornament. The length of the trill itself will be dictated in part by the note value and the desired affect, but as these examples demonstrated, that doesn't seem to be the main reason for having these different signs.
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Take a look at other pieces of Boismortier, test my concepts and let me know what you find!

This is a shout-out to my friend Sophie.💜

Articulation is more than just about getting a note to sound! Here you see excerpts of Handel's Sonata in E minor, second movement Allegro. Use varied tongue strokes and the "articulation silence"(stopping sound with the tongue) to create groupings of notes. This way, the fine details of the music become transparent and we won't have just a random mass of notes flying by. Be sure to stop the sound consistently where you need to (apostrophes), your tongue should feel the slight pressure before it releases the air flow again for the next note. PRACTICE SAYING these without the flute will help a lot.  This is also a great way to gain technical and rhythmic stability. The stopping of the sound gives us a fraction of a second to prepare for the next leap and starting accurately. It'll also prevent us from rushing, making fast passages sound solid and absolutely in control in an exciting way. 

In this next passage, the groupings then change to 4 notes (instead of the 3 notes previously). So we shift the articulation silence to one note later. Notice how the varied tongue strokes of T,D, and create an acoustical connection of those stepwise notes. Remember that "R" is a light flick of the tongue on the hard palate, not the English "R" where the tongue is in the air. 

Measures 16-18 are tricky as it gets a little complicated! But the idea is still the same, "untangle" the notes and find the structure. The groupings of notes are often delineated by leaps (not always, but that's for another time). When practicing, take a moment and mark those groups in the music so that you have a visual orientation. Sometimes there are even subgroups - for example in m. 16 between beats 3 and 4, where two little units make up a bigger 4-note unit.

Depending on the tempo, the acoustical result in a concert performance might be subtle but absolutely crucial. (and definitely audible!) It's a small difference with a big impact, making the passage sound much more organic and lively. Also, we get to have fun with them as a player instead of simply just "getting through" a bunch of notes! Once you grasp this concept, I guarantee you'll never want to go back! 

What you see is NOT what you get in music!
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A common situation we have in Baroque music is these kinds of continuous rhythmic patterns. For me, the notes look like wall paper, but just because they look like that doesn't mean we should play them that way! We'll always need to take time to phrase. Don't be afraid to breathe, make your breaths musical, make it a part of the expression. Amidst all these notes, there are wonderful shapes, emotions, & details that are waiting to be discovered. Don't be afraid to break things apart and really look into the corners. For me this discovery aspect is really the fun and joy in music!