mordent

American  

[mawr-dnt] / ˈmɔr dnt /

Or mordant

noun

Music.

1. a melodic embellishment consisting of a rapid alternation of a principal tone with the tone a half or a whole step below it, called single or short when the auxiliary tone occurs once and double or long when this occurs twice or more.

2. inverted mordent.

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mordent British  

/ ˈmɔːdənt /

noun

1. Also called: lower mordent.  music a melodic ornament consisting of the rapid alternation of a note with a note one degree lower than it

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Etymology

Origin of mordent

1800–10; < German < Italian mordente biting < Latin mordent-, stem of mordēns, present participle of mordēre to bite; see -ent

Example Sentences

Sonata, accenting a mordent in a, 70. in playing a, 75.

From Piano Playing: With Piano Questions Answered by Hofmann, Josef

The Fingers Needed to Play a Mordent When executing the mordent, is not the use of three fingers preferable to two?

From Piano Playing: With Piano Questions Answered by Hofmann, Josef

The mordent must be played fast enough to preserve the rhythmic integrity of the melody-note.

From Piano Playing: With Piano Questions Answered by Hofmann, Josef

Fingers, position of, 6. the other, 16. fourth and fifth, 16. weak, 18. broad-tipped, 20. needed to play a mordent, 28.

From Piano Playing: With Piano Questions Answered by Hofmann, Josef

In the case of both mordent and double-mordent the tones are sounded as quickly as possible, the time taken by the embellishment being subtracted from the value of the principal note as printed.

From Music Notation and Terminology by Gehrkens, Karl Wilson