acciaccatura

noun

Meaning

A musical ornament consisting of a very short grace note played as quickly as possible before the principal note.

Examples

  • The composer marked the score with an acciaccatura to give the opening theme a sharper, more urgent attack.
  • She struggled to execute the acciaccatura cleanly without blurring the transition into the following chord.

Synonyms: grace note, ornament, appoggiatura, embellishment