Appoggiaturas

An appoggiatura is a melodic ornament used in Western tonal music. It is a non-chord tone that leans on a harmony note and resolves by step to a nearby chord tone. Typically it occurs on the beat and is approached by a leap from the preceding note, then resolved by step in the opposite direction, producing a momentary clash with the harmony before settling.

There are two common forms. The long or accented appoggiatura lasts longer and takes time from the main note, emphasizing the ornament on the beat. The short or unaccented form is brief and is often realized as an acciaccatura, a crushed grace note played quickly before the main note. Appoggiaturas may be diatonic, using notes from the scale of the key, or chromatic, incorporating notes outside the key.

Example: in a C major context, a melody might move from G to B (a leap) on the beat, then resolve by step to C. Here B functions as the appoggiatura, dissonant with the harmony and resolving to the chord tone C. This illustrates the characteristic pronunciation of the appoggiatura as a dissonant preparation that resolves into a stable harmony.

Relation to other tones: the appoggiatura differs from passing tones and neighbor tones in its on-beat placement and its requirement of a leap into the non-chord tone followed by a stepwise resolution. It remains a recognized device in classical and Romantic melodic writing for expressive color.