Re: Consecutive trills

[Kira Garvie]

It is true that Bach used the signs interchangeably, but if a trill terminates before the note itself terminates in his music, it indicates to stop trilling at that point and continue holding the note. At least that’s how we interpret his organ music notations! 

On Fri, Apr 29, 2022 at 3:54 PM Mark Stephen Mrotek <carsonmark@ca.rr.com> wrote:

Hans,

Without getting into detail, Arnold Dolmetsch contends that
"They (the various indications of a trillo) have no particular shade of meaning, being only the consequence of his (Bach's) lack of system."
The Interpretation of the Music of the 17th and 18th Centuries, p. 169.

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: lilypond-user [mailto:lilypond-user-bounces+carsonmark=ca.rr.com@gnu.org] On Behalf Of Hans Åberg
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2022 11:33 AM
To: Kieren MacMillan <kieren@kierenmacmillan.info>
Cc: Martín Rincón Botero <martinrinconbotero@gmail.com>; Lilypond-User Mailing List <lilypond-user@gnu.org>
Subject: Re: Consecutive trills


> On 29 Apr 2022, at 19:06, Kieren MacMillan <kieren@kierenmacmillan.info> wrote:
>
>>> As far as I know that's not a notation rule, but I agree that it makes more sense to use the trill + wavy line for tied notes.
>> I haven't seen "tr" plus chevron on a single untied note
>
> When it’s a chain of trills — some tied, others single — I find the consistency [of using the wavy line on *all* trills, and not just the tied notes] is appreciated by conductors and performers.

In BWV 1067, first movement, there is for the flute a long note with several ties with a trill span ending somewhere in the middle, indicating the length of the trill followed by untrilled part. I do not know if Bach himself write it that way, but I found it useful in Balkan music, where it is common to not have an alteration on the last 16th of say a trilled dotted 8th note. I decided to write that with an 8th having a "tr" tied to a following 16th, otherwise those not accustomed with the style would not know how to play it (and I find it is hard to remember). Trilled notes can be syncopated in Balkan music, and then it may be necessary to use a trill span. Hindemith, "Elementary Training", says that on short notes, a trill can have only one alteration. This occurs in Balkan music, but I decided to write a prall sign as it is more compact.