Trill: A quavering or vibratory sound, especially a rapid alternation of sung or played notes.
If you play or sing music from the classical repertoire, there is a better than average chance that you will come upon a marking of tr~ . This means a trill. Trills were very common for many centuries. Here are some examples for you:
Giuseppe Tartini wrote a famous violin sonata in the 1700's (it was published in 1799). It is know as The Devil's Trill.
Here are two examples of trills by Beethoven, first is his Violin Concerto in D major (1806):
and now is Piano Sonata no. 30 (1820).
Vocalists can also trill. It is very common in the operatic world. Check out Joan Sutherland, soprano:
Somewhere along the way, the trill must have fallen out of favor. I don't know about you, but I don't ever hear anyone in the world of popular music using trills. Howlin' Wolf didn't trill. Hank Williams didn't trill. Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra didn't trill. Where did the trill go? and Why did it go? Beats me. B.B. King said The Thrill is Gone. He could also say The Trill is Gone.
But not completely. I found a couple of examples of trills being used fairly recently outside of classical music.
Here is Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who from their famous 1970 Live at Leeds recording:
And just this month, guitarist Extraordinaire, Paul Gilbert, released a new album of Christmas Songs, one of which opens with a trill:
So there are still a few trills out there, maybe more than I realize. I would welcome your input. If you come upon any trills in non-classical music, drop me a line and let me know! Otherwise I will continue to echo....The Trill is Gone.
