Mordent

What it is

A mordent is a short ornament consisting of a single rapid alternation between the written note and an adjacent note, returning immediately to the written note. The left hand section collects the related terms.

Where a trill continues for the duration of the note, a mordent happens once and is over. It is a flick rather than an oscillation.

The effect is a small decorative bite at the start of a note. The Italian mordente relates to biting, which describes it accurately.

Upper and lower

There are two forms and they use different symbols.

The lower mordent alternates with the note below. Written C, it plays C, B, C. The symbol is a short zigzag with a vertical line through it.

The upper mordent alternates with the note above. Written C, it plays C, D, C. The symbol is the same zigzag without the vertical line.

Terminology is a persistent source of confusion. In some traditions the unslashed symbol is called a mordent and the slashed one an inverted mordent; in others the naming is reversed. The symbols are reliable; the words are not.

Some sources call the upper form a short trill or a pralltriller, which adds further confusion.

The interval

As with trills, the alternation is by a step within the prevailing key, not a fixed interval. A ear training makes this easier to work on alone.

The player reads the key signature. An accidental written above or below the symbol indicates a chromatic alteration.

How it is produced

The finger executes a single quick drop and lift, or lift and drop, depending on direction.

The ornament is fast and happens at the start of the note, occupying a small fraction of its written value. The main note then continues for the remainder.

Speed matters. A slow mordent sounds like three separate notes rather than an ornament. It should be quick enough that the ear hears a decorated note rather than a figure.

The hand stays still. The motion is in the finger alone.

Where it falls rhythmically

Generally on the beat, with the ornament occupying the beginning of the note's value rather than being squeezed in before it.

This means the written note does not sound exactly on the beat; the first note of the ornament does. In a lower mordent on C, the C sounds on the beat, then B, then C for the remainder.

Some performance traditions place the ornament before the beat, particularly in later repertoire, but the on-beat placement is standard for Baroque and Classical practice.

What goes wrong

Too slow. The most common fault. The ornament is played as three deliberate notes rather than as a quick flick.

Rhythmic displacement. The main note is delayed too long by the ornament, disrupting the beat.

Wrong direction. Reading the symbol incorrectly and alternating with the wrong neighbour. The vertical slash is the distinguishing mark.

Tension. As with all fast finger movements, a tight hand slows the ornament and makes it uneven.

The fourth finger. Mordents involving the fourth finger are harder and often come out slower and weaker than those on other fingers.

How it differs from a trill

A trill is sustained and fills the note. A mordent happens once.

A trill in Baroque practice usually starts on the upper note. A mordent starts on the written note.

A trill is written tr. A mordent has its own zigzag symbol.

In fast passages the distinction can blur, since a very short trill and an upper mordent sound similar. Context and the symbol decide.

Where you meet it

Extremely common in Baroque keyboard and string writing. Common in Classical repertoire. Less frequent but still present in Romantic writing.

Students meet mordents in Baroque repertoire and in etude collections, usually around the same time as trills.

Editions of Baroque music vary in how many ornaments they mark, since performers of the period added them by convention. Some editions print what the composer wrote; others print what an informed performer would have played. Knowing which kind of edition is in front of you matters.

How it is taught

We start by playing the ornament slowly as three separate notes so the student is clear about which pitches are involved.

Then speed, so it becomes a flick rather than a figure.

Then placement, on the beat, checking that the pulse is not disturbed.

Then in context, and then the interpretive question of which ornaments a particular edition and period expect.

Ornaments and the edition

The number of ornaments printed in a Baroque score bears an uncertain relationship to what the composer expected.

Performers of the period added ornaments by convention, and composers wrote down only some of what they assumed. A modern edition may print exactly what survives in the manuscript, or may add what an informed performer would have played, or may realise the ornaments in full.

A student should know which kind of edition they are using. An urtext edition printing sparse ornamentation is not telling you the music was played plainly.

This is a large topic and one where teachers and performers disagree, but the practical point is simple: the printed page is not the whole instruction.

Practising it

Mordents are fast and small, so the useful practice is the opposite: play them slowly and deliberately first, so the pitches are certain, then compress.

Practise the ornament on the beat with a metronome, checking that the pulse is undisturbed. Most mordent problems are rhythmic rather than technical.

Then in context, at tempo, listening for whether the ornament decorates the note or interrupts it.

Reading about left-hand work like Mordent is a start, and playing it with someone watching your hands is faster. We teach private and group violin lessons in Lawrenceville, Suwanee and Milton. Call 470-789-2422 or book a no-commitment evaluation lesson.