Fiveable
Fiveable

Ornamentation

Definition

Ornamentation refers to decorative musical embellishments added to melodies or chords. These embellishments enhance the expressiveness and beauty of the music.

Related terms

Trill: A trill is a rapid alternation between two adjacent notes, adding a fluttering or trembling effect to the music.

Grace Note: A grace note is a quick, ornamental note played before or after a main note, adding subtle embellishment to the melody.

Appoggiatura: An appoggiatura is an expressive ornament where a non-chord tone is approached by a leap from one note to another, creating tension before resolving to a consonant note.

"Ornamentation" appears in:

Additional resources (1)

  • AP Music Theory - 6.1 Embellishing Tones: Identifying Passing Tones and Neighbor Tones

collegeable - rocket pep

Are you a college student?

  • Study guides for the entire semester

  • 200k practice questions

  • Glossary of 50k key terms - memorize important vocab


Fiveable
About Us

About Fiveable

Blog

Careers

Code of Conduct

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

CCPA Privacy Policy

Resources

Cram Mode

AP Score Calculators

Study Guides

Practice Quizzes

Glossary

Cram Events

Merch Shop

Crisis Text Line

Help Center

Stay Connected


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.

About Us

About Fiveable

Blog

Careers

Code of Conduct

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

CCPA Privacy Policy

Resources

Cram Mode

AP Score Calculators

Study Guides

Practice Quizzes

Glossary

Cram Events

Merch Shop

Crisis Text Line

Help Center

© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.