trill [ shake]
(Fr.: cadence, tremblement, trille; Ger.: Triller; It.: trillo). An ornament consisting of rapid alternation of the main (notated) pitch with a note usually a semitone or tone above it. The device is normally slurred, and applied particularly, although not uniquely, to cadences. While the effect is largely to be found in instrumental music, it is also possible with the voice, and has long been regarded as part of a virtuoso vocal technique.... ...
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