Free Ornamentation: Book

This book cuts through the confusion surrounding ornamentation by treating it as a learnable system rather than an abstract art form. Mather's methodical approach gives students concrete tools to interpret embellishments with confidence, transforming a notoriously tricky aspect of early music into something they can actually apply in rehearsal and performance.

Opening this book feels like having an expert sitting beside you, calmly explaining what seemed mysterious before. The systematic organization and clear examples create a sense of mastery rather than memorization.

This book serves musicians preparing Baroque and Classical repertoire, from high school students encountering their first ornaments to adult learners revisiting these conventions. Conductors and coaches will find it invaluable for coaching ensembles through historically informed interpretation.

• Reference Mather's examples while learning a new piece with ornaments; her systematic presentation makes it easy to find parallels to passages you're working on.
• Play ornaments slowly first to understand their internal structure, then gradually increase tempo until they feel natural at performance speed.
• Experiment with varying the character of an ornament slightly based on harmonic context; Mather's framework supports this kind of informed interpretation.
• Record yourself executing ornaments from different sections and compare; you'll hear whether your execution is consistent across the piece.

Use this as a study guide when your ensemble takes on a Baroque or early Classical work; assign relevant chapters to section leaders so they can coach their peers. It's also essential preparation for directors programming historically informed concerts or teaching a unit on period style.

• Recognizing and executing standard ornament types (trills, turns, mordents, grace notes) with historical accuracy
• Understanding how harmonic context shapes ornamentation choices
• Reading and interpreting ornament notation across different historical periods
• Developing informed interpretation of Baroque and Classical works based on style conventions
• Communicating ornamental choices with musical intent rather than technical execution alone