A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Appoggiatura, Double
APPOGGIATURA, DOUBLE. (Ital. Appoggiatura doppia; Ger. Doppelvorschlag; Fr. Port de voix double.) An ornament composed of two short notes preceding a principal note, the one being placed above and the other below it. They are usually written as small semiquavers.
The first of the two may be at any distance from the principal note, but the second is only one degree removed from it. They have no fixed duration, but are generally slower when applied to a long note (Ex. 1) than when the principal note is short (Ex. 2); moreover, the double appoggiatura, in which the first note lies at a distance from the principal note, should always be somewhat slower than that in which both notes are close to it (Ex. 3). In all cases the time required for both notes is subtracted from the value of the principal note.
![{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \time 2/4 \relative b' << { \appoggiatura { b16[^\markup { 1. \italic Written. } d] } c2 \bar "||" \appoggiatura { b16[^"2." d] } c4 b8 r \bar "||" \grace { e,16[^"3." d'] } c4( b8 r | }
\new Staff { \override TupletBracket #'bracket-visibility = ##f \times 2/3 { b16(^\markup { \italic Played. } d c) ~ } c8 ~ c4 | b32( d c8. b8) r | \stemDown \times 2/3 { e,16( d' c) ~ } c8( b) r | } >> }](http://upload.wikimedia.org/score/o/k/okjknqk9clk55bk660j6t9lsr2wij0t/okjknqk9.png)
The double appoggiatura is sometimes, though rarely, met with in an inverted form (Ex. 4), and Emanuel Bach mentions another exceptional kind, in which the first of the two small notes is dotted, and receives the whole accent, while the principal note becomes as short as the second of the two small notes (Ex. 5).
![{ \override Score.Rest #'style = #'classical \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \time 4/4 \partial 2 \relative b' << { \grace { d16[^"4." b] } c4 r \bar "||" c4^"5." \appoggiatura { c8.[ e16] } d4 c r | }
\new Staff { d32 b c8. r4 | c4 c8.( e32 d) c4 r | } >> }](http://upload.wikimedia.org/score/c/z/czoqn9wsqr96zdzhgga4nd403o87i37/czoqn9ws.png)
The dotted double appoggiatura, written as above, is of very rare occurrence; but it is frequently found in the works of Mozart, Beethoven, etc., written in notes of ordinary size (Ex. 6).
6. Beethoven, Sonata, Op. 53.
