Mordent

Mordent is a musical ornament used to decorate a written note with a rapid alternation between that note and a neighboring pitch. In performance, the figure is executed quickly, creating a short, three-note gesture that embellishes the main pitch without altering its rhythmic value. The term appears in Baroque and Classical repertoires and beyond.

Two related forms are the mordent and the inverted mordent, also called the lower mordent and the upper mordent. The mordent generally involves the note below the main pitch; the inverted mordent involves the note above. The precise timing and the number of alternations vary by stylistic period and editor, so realizations can differ between sources.

In notation, mordents are shown by a short, jagged musical symbol. In some traditions the sign for the inverted mordent is the same symbol used with a different convention; in others it is a distinct sign. Historically, performers consulted ornament tables in treatises by Bach, Couperin, and others to interpret the specific execution for a given style.

Mordents are shorter and simpler than trills, serving as quick color without substantially altering the melodic line. They are commonly encountered in keyboard music, continuo parts, and melodic lines, and their precise realization helps define the character and period texture of a piece. For performers, accurate mordent execution remains a fundamental aspect of understanding Baroque and Classical ornamentation.