William Byrd, ornaments

[raymond2]

I am looking for help with some very basic information about how to play ornaments in William Byrd's keyboard music. I do understand that this is not an exact science, but am lost and would like at least to know where to start. 

For example, how is a crotchet (say 'd' natural) with a double bar through it played? As a mordant? If so, up or down?  And what about a chord of three semibreves with a double bar underneath (say 'e'+'g'+'c').  Is it the bottom note that carries the ornament or the top one? The bottom, I suppose.

If the examples I have given should be played as trills rather than mordants, does the trill begin on the note written in the score or on the note above? Or does it depend on context?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[j_menz]

There may be a table in the preface to the Dover edition of the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. I don't actually have that, and the preface is not part of the scan on IMSLP.

You may also find this article, if a little academic, useful.

[raymond2]

Thank you very much for your help.  I will check out the references.

[andrewuk]

There isn't a "table" as such in the Dover/Fitzwilliam, but it has this to say about ornaments:

- [single bar through stem] indicates a slide of a third upwards, or a double appogiatura, and possibly occasionally a mordent;
- [double bar through stem] seems to be used for a long or short shake, or for either a "Pralltriller" or "Mordent"

The Dover book reproduces the edition published in 1899; no doubt scholarship has moved on since then.

[raymond2]

Thank you for the additional information, which is very helpful.  At the moment, I am playing the pieces without most of the ornaments but am trying to adopt fingering that will allow me to add them (or at least some of them) once I have mastered the basics.

[outin]

I have an album with some English keyboard music from the late 1600s. Byrd was a bit earlier, but I suppose the convention might be the same. It has the ornament execution written out. There are also short chapters on ornamentation in a book I have "Keyboard music before 1700".

Too much for me to explain in words, but if you PM me I can send you some scans.

[pauld3]

For ornament advice, check harpsichord handbooks such as Ann Bond's, etc., book.