appoggiatura

American  

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

noun

Music.

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

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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

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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; ap- ¹, podium, -ate ¹, -ure

Example Sentences

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

So for a short auditory definition of the appoggiatura and a taste of the controversy surrounding its application to Adele, I’ll refer you to this piece from NPR entitled, “Another take on the ‘Appoggiatura.‘”

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

Leonard Bernstein has captured the sound of its blue notes�the appoggiatura tones that mimic the human voice in lament�and others have used its reiterated play-song melodies.

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