Loading…
Loading…
A "leaning note" — an accented dissonance that resolves stepwise (usually downward) to a consonance. Unlike a suspension, it is approached by leap.
The appoggiatura is one of the most expressive devices in music — the accented dissonance creates a sigh or cry that resolves into consonance. Mozart uses them constantly in vocal music. In composing, approach the appoggiatura by leap (usually from below) and resolve it stepwise downward.
Mozart's "Dove sono" from "Le Nozze di Figaro" — the vocal line is full of appoggiaturas, each one a musical sigh of longing.
Appoggiatura is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
Browse the full dictionary →