The
trill (or
shake, as it was known from the 16th until the 19th century) is a
musical ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between two
adjacent notes, usually a
semitone or
tone apart, which can be identified with the context of the trill. (compare
mordent and
tremolo). It is sometimes referred to by the
German triller, the
Italian trillo, the
French trille or the
Spanish trino. A
cadential trill is a trill associated with a
cadence.