e commit a grave error. We ought
never to regard it as a "shake," unless it is obviously an integer of
the melody.

The other point to be considered in the study of embellishments is
taste, or rather, let me say, "fashion," for the fashion of those times
which over-indulged in ornamentation and over-loaded everything with it,
from architecture to dress, was by no means an insignificant factor in
music. The point is important because it involves the element of
"concessions" which the composers, voluntarily or from habit, made to
the public of their day. I seriously question the necessity of retaining
these often superabundant embellishments in their entirety, for I
contend that we study antique works on account of their musical
substance and not for the sake of gewgaws and frills which were either
induced by the imperfections of the instrument or by the vitiated taste
of times to which the composer had to yield willy-nilly.

It is, of course, a very difficult and responsible task to determine
what to retain and what to discard. This, to a large extent, must depend
upon what part the ornament plays in the melody of the composition,
whether it is really an integral part or an artificial excrescence. By
all means never discard any embellishment which may serve to emphasize
the melodic curve, or any one which may add to its declamatory
character. A well-educated taste assisted by experience will be a fairly
reliable guide in this matter. However, it is hardly advisable for
amateurs with limited training to attempt any home editing of this kind.

Those embellishments which we do regain should in all cases be executed
as the composer of the piece would desire to hear them executed if he
could become acquainted with the instruments of to-day. This, of course,
places the study of ornamentation with the many auxiliary musical
branches which demand special and separate attention. Johann Sebastian
Bach's son, Phillip Emanuel Bach, realized this, and gave years to the
proper exposition of embellishments. However, the student should realize
that the study of embellishments is only a part of the great whole and
he should not be misled into accepting every little shake or other
little frippery, and then magnifying it into a matter of more vital
importance than the piece itself.

WELL-MEANING ADVISERS

The student should form the habit of determining things for himself. He
will soon find that he will be surrounded with many well-