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appoggiatura

American  
[uh-poj-uh-toor-uh, -tyoor-uh, ahp-pawd-jah-too-rah] / əˌpɒdʒ əˈtʊər ə, -ˈtjʊər ə, ɑpˌpɔd dʒɑˈtu rɑ /

noun

Music.
  1. a note of embellishment preceding another note and taking a portion of its time.


appoggiatura British  
/ əˌpɒdʒəˈtʊərə /

noun

  1. music an ornament consisting of a nonharmonic note (short or long) preceding a harmonic one either before or on the stress See also acciaccatura

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of appoggiatura

First recorded in 1745–55; from Italian: literally, “a propping up,” equivalent to appoggiat(o), past participle of appoggiare “to support” + -ura abstract noun suffix; see ap- 1, podium, -ate 1, -ure

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

He tended to gloss over big moments with infuriatingly brisk tempos, and the crunching appoggiatura on the work’s final chord, one of the most eloquent dissonances in all of music history, simply failed to register.

From New York Times Jun. 22, 2018

The WSJ article describes an appoggiatura as “a type of ornamental note that clashes with the melody just enough to create a dissonant sound.”

From Scientific American Mar. 1, 2012

But the definition of the appoggiatura isn’t the only thing that is currently being debated.

From Scientific American Mar. 1, 2012

But this time, tape recorders took in every appoggiatura so that the antique treasures could be preserved in high-quality stereo recordings.

From Time Magazine Archive

The steady accompaniment and firm legato theme are the woof and warp through which, around which, and over which a little five-note appoggiatura sports like a weaver's shuttle.

From Stars of the Opera by Wagnalls, Mabel

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