Ru
EnV. Leonov, I. Palkina
Evolution of music embellishments: a trill
The trill, as a means of expression, is a fundamental embellishment in musical practice. The earliest surviving musical notations of trills date back to the 16th century; among these, a treatise by the Venetian musician S. Ganassi stands out. It contains numerous examples of diminutions – significant building material for composition of that time (especially in instrumental genres), performing, and teaching activities, genetically connected with the formation of future ornamentation. As European musical art developed historically, expressive means evolved in dialectical unity, and adequate concepts and terms were sought. This article aims to chart the evolutionary development of performing interpretations of this ornamental element, captured in notation and authentic commentaries on accepted methods of trill reproduction in practical manuals from the 16th to 20th centuries. Based on this, the work of musicians from Italy, France, and England of various eras is drawn upon – the Renaissance (S. Ganassi), Baroque (G. Fantini, K. Simpson, J. Chambonnières, J.-M. Hotteterre the Younger), late Classicism (E. Ozy), Romanticism (J.-B. Arban), and modern times (P. Taffanel and Ph. Gaubert). It is noted that in music of the 16th–18th centuries, given the numerous discrepancies in terminology and the apparent fluidity of notographic designations connected with ornamentation, composers often published appropriate introductory notes to editions of their own instrumental works. A tendency towards a gradual simplification and unification of performing interpretations of the trill is retraced. The modern interpretation of embellishments, formed in the 19th century (J. N. Hummel), now is confirmed in the works of authoritative musicians of the first half of the 20th century.
Key words
ornamentation in music of the 16th–20th centuries, diminutions, notation of embellishments, performing directions-abbreviations, historical conditionality of the trill interpretations.
For citation
Leonov V., Palkina I. Evolution of music embellishments: a trill. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2026. No. 3. Pp. 62–69.
