Spread Chords

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Baroque Conventions of Notating Spread Chords

There were a number of different ways of notating spread chords in use in the Baroque. French composers included arpeggiation signs in their table of ornaments, and were specific about the direction of the spread. Here are the two signs for arpeggiation from D'Anglebert’s (1629-1691) table of ornaments (Bach knew this music well). D’Anglebert adds a vertical stroke through the top of the note stem for a downward spread or at the bottom of the note stem for an upward one. Others used the wavy line we are familiar with today, but may indicate the...

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