agrément
Definition
Ornament. The French Baroque system of keyboard ornamentation — trills (tremblements), mordents (pincés), ports de voix, coulés, turns, and other small decorative figures — as distinct from the German or Italian ornament conventions of the same period. Couperin published a complete ornament table in L'Art de toucher le clavecin (1716/17) that is the definitive guide to interpreting his specific symbols. Each ornament has a precise symbol and realisation that must not be substituted with another convention.
Interpretive Guidance
Always consult Couperin's own ornament table (reproduced in the Hinson, Heugel, and other modern editions) before attempting his agréments. Do not substitute German or Italian ornament realisations. When an ornament falls on a harmonically sensitive beat, the ornament enriches the dissonance — do not smooth it away.