Mordents in Handel Passacaglia from Suite No. 7, HWV 432

[jc10202010]

I am not sure how to play the notes for the mordents in the attached file that can also be found here
https://partifi.org/lvHE7
I have looked online and some of what I have found contradicts how it is played in this video at 1:00

=60

In the video, the F is # but I thought it was supposed to be played with F natural since that is the note below the G in the G minor scale. Any clarification on what notes to play would be much appreciated. Thank you

[brogers70]

I believe those are trills with an ascending termination rather than mordents. Baroque trill begin o the note above the principal note, so I'd probably play the first one a-g-a-g-f#-g-a or a-g-a-g-a-g-f#-g-a. Unfortunately, that symbol is not in Bach's Explicatio of the ornaments, so I cannot be completely sure.

[maxim3]

Here are three different performances of your Handel passage chosen at random from Youtube. You will notice they are all different:

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&t=755s

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The reason is that Baroque music was not meant to played exactly as written. The performer was more or less required to interpret the ornamentation according to his own taste, and it was quite normal that he would never perform it the same way twice. Consult any scholarly work on Baroque performance practice.

Get to know the ornamentation style through various listening, reading, and study, then play accordingly, with your own ornamentation choices, like in these videos; or simply imitate any good player's ornamentation.

[jc10202010]

I believe those are trills with an ascending termination rather than mordents. Baroque trill begin o the note above the principal note, so I'd probably play the first one a-g-a-g-f#-g-a or a-g-a-g-a-g-f#-g-a. Unfortunately, that symbol is not in Bach's Explicatio of the ornaments, so I cannot be completely sure.

Thank you, I was not sure what to call them. I have seen many charts that explain what that symbol does but not what it is named.
a-g-a-g-f#-g-a  is what the charts say and what the video does but what I am still wondering, though, is why the F would be # and not natural since the key is G minor?

[jc10202010]

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[brogers70]

Thank you, I was not sure what to call them. I have seen many charts that explain what that symbol does but not what it is named.
a-g-a-g-f#-g-a  is what the charts say and what the video does but what I am still wondering, though, is why the F would be # and not natural since the key is G minor?

F is sharp because f# is the leading tone in g minor.