Which ornament is typically described as being approached by the same tone and resolved by stepping down?

Which ornament is typically described as being approached by the same tone and resolved by stepping down?

• A. Suspension
• B. Mordent
• C. Appoggiatura
• D. Mazurka

Answer: (C)

This describes a suspension. In a suspension, a voice holds a note from the previous harmony into the new harmony, so the pitch is carried over as a common tone against the new chord. That held note creates a temporary dissonance with the incoming harmony, and it resolves by stepping downward to a chord tone in the new harmony. The pattern of keeping the same tone and then moving downward by a step is the classic signature of a suspension. By contrast, a mordent is a quick alternation with a neighboring pitch, returning to the main note, which is not about a held common tone resolving stepwise. An appoggiatura is typically approached by a leap from the preceding note and resolves by step to the main note, not via a held common tone into a new harmony. A mazurka is a dance form, not an ornament.

This describes a suspension. In a suspension, a voice holds a note from the previous harmony into the new harmony, so the pitch is carried over as a common tone against the new chord. That held note creates a temporary dissonance with the incoming harmony, and it resolves by stepping downward to a chord tone in the new harmony. The pattern of keeping the same tone and then moving downward by a step is the classic signature of a suspension.

By contrast, a mordent is a quick alternation with a neighboring pitch, returning to the main note, which is not about a held common tone resolving stepwise. An appoggiatura is typically approached by a leap from the preceding note and resolves by step to the main note, not via a held common tone into a new harmony. A mazurka is a dance form, not an ornament.