Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T03:07:57.410Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

14 - The discretionary ornaments; or how to vary a simple melody according to the rules of harmony, and to use these variations in a good and suitable way appropriate to the material

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2011

Get access

Summary

Since the discretionary ornaments too are an element of good and varied playing and make up a part of it, it is important to deal with them specifically as well. If they were to be left out, it would unfortunately be likely that the inclination and craving for variation that seems to be innate to everybody would, without proper direction, do more harm than good. To make the basics of these ornaments comprehensible and intelligible to someone who has no knowledge of harmony is certainly no easy matter; and it is impossible to teach them quite fully to such a person if this knowledge is lacking. To write down harmonised movements for a pupil who does not know harmony, and try to show the analysis of isolated passages, is nothing better than a useless exercise, which in this manner, either by himself or with the help of a teacher, he will certainly not grasp and understand in such a way that he can use it on other cases too. The teacher will give a dull discourse, and when he has finished the pupil will not have understood him. But if he really wants to have variations in his playing, then the teacher must demonstrate for him, if he but understands it (for many socalled teachers understand nothing about it, even in many cases great instrumentalists do not); and the pupil repeats it after him.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×