Trills and Mordents with Bach and Handel

[faa2010]

I was practicing some Inventions of Bach and I found that the trills and mordents are played in a different form: they start with the upper note instead of the note in question.

Eg. a mordent in B is supposed to be B-C-B, with Bach is C-B-C-B.

a trill with D starts D-E-D-E..., with Bach is E-D-E-D...

I also saw that with Handel is the same.

Which is the right playing form then?, should we need to follow Bach and Handel or can we play them like we do nowadays?

[iansinclair]

No, you should not play Bach (and any Baroque or earlier) trill, mordent, or any other ornament the way you would play it in a more modern piece.  The style -- and indeed the intent of the ornament -- was completely different (this can be seen on the occasions where the ornament is written out).

I might add that sometimes -- particularly some of the trills but also mordents, the end of the trill is different as well; in your example of the trill it is possible, depending on where it is in the music, that the correct trill would be E D E D ... E D C D.  (might be C#, if D is the tonic).

Further, the timing of the notes is significant; the ornament is not just "tossed off".  Depending on the tempo and subdivision of the notes in the other voices, the trill may be twice as fast, four times as fast, eight times as fast, etc. -- but always, always definetly in tempo.

If you are going to play Baroque and earlier music, learn the specific style for the ornamentation and use it.

[johnmar78]

FA210,
Beware, Baroque period, classical, romantic and post romantic(Lizst.., their trills and mordent are different, either upper notes or lower notes....read the small prints under your scores, try use Urtex version it will expalin to you the complete trils and turns.