acciaccatura
UK /əˌt͡ʃækəˈtjʊəɹə/ · US /əˌt͡ʃɑkəˈtʊɹə/ noun
Forms acciaccaturas acciaccature acciacatura
- noun (music) A short grace note (theoretically taking no time at all), occurring on the beat occupied by the main note to which it is prefixed, one scale-step higher or lower than that main note. (Sometimes equivalent, therefore, to a short appoggiatura, but in Baroque music interpreted differently and more strictly.) Written as a note lighter in appearance, typically a quaver (eighth note), with an oblique stroke through the stem.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian acciaccatura, from the verb acciaccare (“to crush”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A short grace note, one semitone below the note to which it is prefixed; --used especially in organ music. Now used as equivalent to the short appoggiatura.
Etymology [It., from acciaccare to crush.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “acciaccatura”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details