Help!! I'm working on the Bach Fantasia in C minor, and am having trouble with the ornaments. There are lots of mordants and inverted mordants (as well as trills). The question: on a mordant or inverted mordant, what note is the auxiliary? Is it a half-step or whole-step above/below the principal note? I can't seem to get a consistent feel for where the auxiliary should be. Thanks!

-- Susan (SWBrooks1@aol.com), May 15, 2001

Answers

Susan

http://idrs.colorado.edu/Publications/Journal/JNL3/baroque.html

it's an article on the double reed society web page concerning baraoque ornamentation

might be of help

Mark

-- Mark Barry (noname_poster@yahoo.com), May 16, 2001.

Sometimes a whole step, sometimes a half. A simple way to remember: it's the note above or below with the next letter name in the alphabet (up or down), and the notes involved are either sharp or flat depending on the key signature and/or accidentals. Accidentals should be written above or below the ornament, but sometimes aren't. For example, an ornament on c that deals with the note above will use c and d. C or D will be sharp or flat if there is a sharp or flat in the key signature or if there are accidentals earlier in the measure on that line or space; otherwise they are both natural.

-- (No_name@yahoo.com), May 17, 2001.