On 2003-02-12 19:27, peeplj wrote:
Classical music of all kinds is rife and thick with ornamentation, it just happens to be different ornamentation than is used in Irish music....There are trills, mordents, inverted mordents, tremolos, flattements, gruppetto (turns), graces, subdivisions, and God-knows what-all else.
Jim,
I'm quite surprised--shocked even--that you failed to mention the groundbreaking work of Fred Palmer in his Compendium of Little Known and Deservedly Obscure Baroque Ornaments (San Lorenzo, CA: Musica Sacra et Profana, 1976). As Palmer so deftly explains, all of the ornaments in his compendium "are so natural that they can easily be executed by even the beginning performer." Although space does not permit my reproducing all of the ornaments, or "aggravatements," as they have come to be called, that he has collected in this remarkable little volume, the following are just too important to omit. I've played many of them myself, I might add. Both the examples and the commentary are from Palmer's historic reference work.
This ornament is commonly found in oboe literature. Beginning players discover it almost immediately.
This ornament is often found in modern editions of eighteenth century music.
This ornament occurs when several instruments play the same written note.
This is one of the oldest and most persistent ornaments in music. It can be traced all the way back to Gregorian Chant where it was known as the "mea culpa."
This ornament is a favorite with modern performers of baroque music.
I hope these will shed some light on the history and evolution of ornamentation in Irish Traditional Music.
Carol
