Understanding Rhythm and Ornaments in Music

Let's look at rhythm.

Now, rhythm is really important here because we don't want much rubato. This was very Baroque, the Baroque era was quite fixed, specifically the French Baroque. We need:

• Real pulse
• A steady pulse
• Correct rhythm

However, we have all these demisemiquaver notes, tied notes, and for somebody who first looks at this, they might think, "Oh, look at all those weird, complicated rhythms."

Analyzing Bar Six

For example, look at bar six. It is actually quite simple if you structure it according to the quaver beats in the left hand. Sometimes I even put lines on to line them up to know where each right-hand melodic note fits with the accompaniment.

So looking at bar six, it's:

• 1 and
• 2 and
• 3 and
• 4

It's always a structure, and those rhythms are not as free as you think. I believe that they should be very, very exact and precise. Then the whole thing will flow much more organically.

Exploring Ornaments

Let's have a look at ornaments. The word is there as a decoration. It literally is there as a little sort of spontaneous or semi-spontaneous idea of the composer.

• To ornate
• To decorate
• To flourish a little phrase just a little further

For example, in bar two, the composer could have just written a straightforward phrase, but he adds that little extra spice by incorporating a very brief acciaccatura. My Italian isn't as fluent as I'd like!

You want to have it very free. It needs to be:

• Very buoyant
• Nothing is attacked

It's just literally as if you were cooking and you were just sprinkling a few more garlic granules into something to give it a bit more flavor. That's all it is.

Some of the rhythms as well are ornaments themselves, but they're sort of written out ornaments. For example, in bar 13 we have a rhythm that serves this purpose.

Final Thoughts on Ornaments

In effect, the composer has included a few more notes to add a little bit of flavor.

Lastly, in the final bar, there's one that is written as quavers. However, I think that can be very free, imagining what kind of ritenuto (slowing down) you are doing there.

Whatever it is, remember:

• It's not very present
• The ornament is just a little idea

You always want to have this idea that it's improvised right there on the spot.