''Bebung'' (German: ''a trembling''; ) is a type of

vibrato Vibrato ( Italian, from past participle of " vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms ...

executed on the

clavichord The clavichord is a stringed rectangular keyboard instrument that was used largely in the Late Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. Historically, it was mostly used as a practice instrument and as an aid to compositi ...

. When a clavichord key is pressed, a small metal

tangent In geometry, the tangent line (or simply tangent) to a plane curve at a given point is the straight line that "just touches" the curve at that point. Leibniz defined it as the line through a pair of infinitely close points on the curve. Mo ...

strikes a string and remains in contact with it for as long as the key is held down. By applying a rocking pressure up and down the key with the finger, a performer can slightly alter the tension of the string itself, producing the vibrato quality known as ''bebung''. While the vibrato on fretless string instruments such as the violin typically oscillates in pitch both above and below the nominal note, clavichord ''bebung'' can only produce pitches above the note. Sheet music does not often explicitly indicate ''Bebung''. Composers assumed that, like other

ornaments An ornament is something used for decoration. Ornament may also refer to: Decoration *Ornament (art), any purely decorative element in architecture and the decorative arts *Biological ornament, a characteristic of animals that appear to serve on ...

, performers would apply ''bebung'' at their discretion. Where sheet music does indicate ''bebung'', it appears as a series of dots above or below a note, with the number of dots indicating the number of finger movements. For example:

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and sec ...

called the vibrato "Bebung", however other composers like

Johann Mattheson Johann Mattheson (28 September 1681 – 17 April 1764) was a German composer, singer, writer, lexicographer, diplomat and music theorist. Early life and career The son of a prosperous tax collector, Mattheson received a broad liberal education ...

had described the term earlier on. C.P.E Bach often used Bebung in his music, and says it was one of the reasons why the clavichord was superior to the recent

pianoforte The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

. In 1789,

Daniel Gottlob Türk Daniel Gottlob Türk (10 August 1750 – 26 August 1813) was a German composer, organist, and music professor of the Classical period. Biography Born in Claußnitz, Saxony, Türk studied organ under his father and later under Johann Adam Hille ...

added the Bebung definition to the pianoforte, yet instead of the rocking-pressure, it is restating the tone/note by continuously and gently pressuring it. While,

Alexander Agricola Alexander Agricola (; born Alexander Ackerman; – 15 August 1506) was a Netherlandish composer of the Renaissance writing in the Franco-Flemish style. A prominent member of the ''Grande chapelle'', the Habsburg musical establishment, he wa ...

used it in vocal works.

References

* {{reflist Musical techniques Ornamentation