(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.
​
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.💜

Meter, phrasing, and harmony are some of the possible factors that determine a note's length. Remember that notation is really a very limited way of suggesting how the music should actually sound. Beyond any rules or historical knowledge, I feel the best piece of advice I can give is to always think about what kind of AFFECT, what expression do you want to achieve with a piece of music. And then everything you do is to serve that expression.

So for example, in the above Andersen etude I wanted to show something joyful, light, moving, something bouncing between the ground and the sky. So my point was to utilize different types of short articulation to create those effects and affects. You won't get this idea by simply looking at the sheet music and it would be almost impossible to notate every nuance. And since articulation is always in connection with how you manage your air, both the tongue and the breath give each note a definitive shape, length, and timbre. So always listen and observe carefully whether the tongue and the breath are really coordinating together to achieve one goal, one expression, or whether they're a little out of sync with each other. 

Coming back to notation, if we accept that notation is only a rough way of suggesting how a piece of music should basically go, then it's not far from understanding inégalité. The subject is complex but I want to mention one instance in regard to this topic. You see above a typical cadence (from Boismortier's Op. 35, E minor suite). After the cadential trill, the first G we play is known as an anticipation. As the name suggests, it anticipates the final note and thus should go towards it. Don't be influenced by the notation in thinking that you must play a proper 8th note, or think because baroque music has such an emphasis on articulation that we have to make that separation of the two G's distinctly. Also, even if you claim to not speak French, you probably know a bit more than you actually think you do. Think of words like "amour", "café", "merci" - or look them up in YouTube or any pronunciation site. Notice how in these words the first syllable also slides smoothly towards the second syllable. That's how we should play such a cadential pattern. This is also why using the tonguing pattern "TU-RU" is extremely helpful and, ultimately, natural. Compare by playing it with two equal tongue strokes and you'll notice the difference. Compare also if you would try to "soften" the 8th note but still playing with two equal tongue strokes, you may even find your tongue nevertheless naturally wanting to retract to create an alternation in the tonguing. 

And one last thing but crucial in this formula, be sure to diminuendo, lighten up the breath as you play the "TU-RU" into the cadence. Notice in the French words mentioned above, they all sound somewhat open-ended. We don't have a definitive "stop" to the sound. Many French words act this way, even if there are letters at the end. (think of the composer's name "Blavet", "croissant", "toujours"...). The diminuendo we do is in response to creating and imitating that subtlety.

Try this out and let me know what you find! 

In my last workshop "24 Tips & Techniques for Playing Couperin's Second Concert Royaux", I talked about where are good passages to do the flattement / finger vibrato. Most players may know that flattements can be done on long(-ish) notes. However, I specifically suggest looking out for places where the melody moves downward to further enhance a kind of tender expression. Here's my latest video about this subject which includes clips from the workshop: