The_ appoggiatura (also called grace note) comes from an Italian word meaning "to lean upon.- It consists of an accented ornamental tone introduced before a principal note of the melody. Time to perform it is taken from the note against which it is printed. No rule as to exact rendition is generally accepted. Some musicians give it its printed value and shorten the next note by the same amount. Others say that the time should be divided equally between it and the note which follows. Sometimes the appoggiatura is allowed to take the major portion of the time if, by chance, the main note is followed by another of the same pitch. Before a dotted note, the appoggiatura is usually given two-thirds of the total value.

A short appoggiatura, also called acciacatura, occurs frequently and is written like the long appoggiatura except that it has a diagonal line through the flag or stem. The name acciacatura, from the Italian word meaning - to crush," is definitive, for this embellishment is sung as quickly as possible, being literally pressed into the following note. Time to sing it is taken from the following note, but, unlike the long appoggiatura, it is unaccented.