I have benn playing a piece by scarlatti and I have come across an acciaccatura....but in this case the acciaccatura is slightly different. As normal they look like a quaver with a slanted line going through it. In this particular piece some of them look like similar to above but have two slanted lines going through it. Could anyone please help me to understand what this means?

-- debbie myles (debbiemyles@hotmail.com), February 14, 2005

Answers

Music, very short note played before a longer note; short appoggiatura.

The slash lines on the note indicates that the note is divide into two notes. For example: A Quarter Note would become two Eight Notes. So, two slashes on a Quarter Noter would become four Sixteenth Notes. The acciaccatura is like the grace note, but with a group of quick notes before the longer note.

Gosh! I hope I'm correct on this.

...............

-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), February 16, 2005.

Hi-

Check the Ralph Kirkpatrick edition (Schirmer Library) for complete information on Scarlatti's accacciatura's. You have a very good question. Remember- an accacciatura means "to crush". Old harpsichord trick: press both the auxilliary and the principle at the same time, releasing the upper only very quickly before continuing.

Does this help at all?

-- Lea Johnson (clearfuture@erols.com), March 09, 2005.