An appoggiatura (from the Italian appoggiare — “to lean”) is an expressive melodic ornament: a note foreign to the chord, taken on a strong beat and as if “leaning” on the following main chord tone, into which it later resolves.
Unlike the grace note, the appoggiatura usually has a perceptible duration and takes on the metric accent, so it sounds not like a passing decoration but like an important, emotionally charged moment. It is appoggiaturas that create the effect of “sighing” or “weeping” in many lyrical melodies — they lend music poignancy and humanity. Composers of every era, from the Baroque to the present, have used this device masterfully to heighten the expressiveness of the melodic line.
