Here's a question from one of my readers which perhaps others may find helpful.

The question is - What's up with the pluses and squiggles?😅 (Boismortier Op. 8)

The signs suggest different types of trills. The pluses tend to happen on longer note values and the squiggly lines on shorter ones. So I would interpret the squiggly lines as a shorter, quicker trill (4 notes), very superficial and played absolutely lightly (using hardly any air at all, in diminuendo). It should just sound like something fluttering in the air. For the pluses, there will be more room for a slightly longer appoggiatura (but with varying lengths depending on the instance), starting perhaps a bit slower and then getting faster as time permits, and overall a longer trill. Lentement does mean slowly, but it is still indicated in 4 (the C) so we want to feel 4 big beats.
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If you're having trouble with this rhythmically, try to see if you can feel both the big pulse as well as the 8th at the same time. The longer trills will benefit from that inner subdivision.

So last week I wrote some quick start-up tips on baroque ornamentation and the appoggiatura. I mentioned how it's always going to be a combination of historical information and personal interpretation. Let's see how this works in practice! 

Here's the beautiful opening of François Couperin's Premier Concert of his Concerts royaux. With the indication Gravement, we can understand the movement as having a sense of weight and seriousness (but still with a hint of tenderness as French music does!). I'll just concentrate on the first five measures - we can see how various appoggiatura lengths can be used and I'll go through my reasoning and analysis for each case. Depending on your screen size, you may want to open two browser windows to be able to refer to the music above. 

And before we start, I want to say it's my understanding that Couperin is a little vague regarding the appoggiatura between descending thirds (so-called tierce de coulée or other similar names) Although he seems to indicate in his L'Art de Toucher Le Clavecin that "the little lost note of the lower or upper appoggiatura" should be played on the beat, there are other instances where he diverges from this concept and have them as "passing".(as we often understand how the tierce de coulée is to be played) This will provide an interesting point to consider in the following passages.

The referred appoggiaturas are the ones that look like small 8th notes. 

#1 - The first A-appoggiatura is the typical port de voix (appoggiatura from below) followed by a mordent. It would make sense to place this on the down beat, not only does it create richness in sound with the base (also with mordent!), but also we already have the trill with termination beforehand with an A, so only this solution will give clarity and musical sense. The second A is what we'd consider as a tierce de coulée, and although you can certainly follow Couperin strictly by playing this on the 8th note value, there is a bit more elegance by playing this one as passing, especially since we already have the A-appoggiatura on the beat previously. Whether you play the appoggiatura as passing or on the beat, be sure to diminuendo, lighten up the sound and keep the A short. Compare yourself and see what you think. 

#2 - I'd play the E-appoggiatura on the beat (again achieving clarity and good separation from the previous E), either as an 8th or 16th note. I don't think I'd do anything shorter than that, in order to preserve the "serious" expression. The next two appoggiaturas are again interesting - they both seem like the tierce de coulées as we know them (and very typically happening in sequence). We COULD consider playing the C-appoggiatura on the beat (8th note value)to enhance the Gravement affect on this harmony (diminished chord), but then let the A-appoggiatura fall, making it passing and unaccented. We'd then play the mordent on the G on the beat, giving us that metric and harmonic support (7th chord in bass). It's otherwise a very common thing to have an appoggiatura on the beat followed by a mordent, but it feels a little awkward to do that here. 

#3 - G-appoggiatura definitely on the beat, and I'd play it as an 8th rather than 16th, perhaps also with mordent or even a little trill afterwards. I'd choose a longer appoggiatura here because it provides a nice relief after that fancy cadential trill happening before, again, thinking Gravement. Be sure to lean into the G nicely and then release on the A, even if you decide to do a mordent or trill on it. They must be very light and need only a wisp of air. 

#4 - It might be tempting to play the B-appoggiatura also a bit long (like a full 8th note), but we'd also have to consider the changing harmonies. In this case, a short appoggiatura is more suitable since we do want the C# to sound in the #6-4 chord. Again on the beat, with the same reasons like #1 and #3. Also, starting already from the turn after the A-mordent, all these short little notes help us gain a sense of moving forward toward the cadence.

So in just these measures, we've got a whole range of ways to determine and interpret just a little note, which in turn adds so much more expression and meaning to all these passages. Try them out and let me know what you think!

Above (clockwise from top left): Ornamentation examples by J.S. Bach (Clavier-Büchlein for Wilhelm Friedemann Bach), F. Couperin (Premier Livre de Pièce de Clavecin), J. Hotteterre (Premier Livre de Pièce 2nd edition), and Leopold Mozart (Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule) 

​So I got a question about ornamentation signs, and whether there's a difference between signs used in the baroque times versus later periods, or whether different instruments used different signs. Here's a short answer - the baroque times had indeed more of a system of signs, because the style of using little ornaments was more prevalent in baroque music. However, after the classical period, a lot of these ornaments went out of fashion and so we don't tend to encounter them in later music, with a few exceptions such as trills and grace notes.

Sometimes if you look at modern reprints of earlier music, they may try to "spell out" the ornament by indicating with little notes instead of using the original sign. Unfortunately, the correctness of these are often a hit-or-miss. In addition, I believe the visual impact of notation is not to be underestimated. Signs convey much better and more efficiently the decorative nature of ornamentation. They are supplemental details of a main structure which enhance the expression of the music. This doesn't make them less important, but it's about every element having a very defined role in the entire composition. When the notes are spelled out, they often create a crowded, almost clumsy effect in the notation. We thus run into the risk of focusing on "getting the right notes" as opposed to internalizing the affect of the ornament. I certainly understand the need to have those notes written out so that the information is accessible for everyone, but perhaps a better and more pedagogical solution would be to use the signs (or as similar as possible) and include an explanatory chart with the work. AND with the right information of course!

Which is exactly what baroque composers did! These signs are often similar to those used by other composers of the time, so with some experience in reading facsimile prints, we as modern-day players learn to recognize them. We come closer to the spirit of the music when we understand that expressive connection between notation and interpretation.

Below: compare Rameau's original publication(1724) with Durand's(around the turn of the 20th century) of "Le Rappel des Oiseaux".

​Here are some simple but effective ways to ornament this old French noel "Ou s'en vont ces gays Bergers". Reminder, the notation is in French violin clef, which is like reading bass clef for us! 

For this music, "standard" ornaments like little trills are great to add, as Rippert has already indicated(+). Mordents are also useful, which I marked on the downbeat of bar 1. These bring a nice brilliance and spark to the music, which reflects the "cheerful shepherds" and also the immense expectation of seeing Jesus. But beyond these, we can also add in "real notes" which will be in the style of the "double", a sort of variation on the melody with more extended ornamentation.

​Look for neighboring notes and see how you can weave in and out of the melody notes with them. You may also look into 3rds and sometimes even 6ths, but in this case we don't want to get too complicated, as we do want to stay in the rustic character of this piece. Watch out for the harmony too.

Most importantly, 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰. Or whatever character the music is requiring. This will help guide you to ornament in a way that sounds effortless and natural, not drawing attention to itself but simply delightful to hear.
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Is it OK to write down the ornaments? Absolutely! The more you do it, the more you'd be developing your vocabulary, so why rob the chance for you to learn and have fun at the same time?