figured bass

Meanings

1. 1noununcountablemusictechnical

   A system in Baroque music where numbers under a bass line show which chords to play above it.

   Grammar: Uncountable; used when talking about the system itself, not individual instances.

   Patterns

   • figured bass notation
   • play from a figured bass
   • realize a figured bass

   In the Baroque period, keyboard players often improvised from a figured bass.

   The teacher explained how the numbers in a figured bass tell you which intervals to play above the bass note.

   Handel's continuo parts were written as a figured bass, leaving the exact chords to the performer.

2. 2nouncountablemusictechnical

   A bass line written with such numbers, used as a basis for performance.

   Grammar: Countable; refers to a specific written line with figures.

   Patterns

   • a figured bass part
   • write out a figured bass
   • the figured bass line

   The cellist played the figured bass while the harpsichordist filled in the harmonies.

   She studied the figured bass in the score to understand the composer's harmonic intentions.

   Each movement has a different figured bass, so the accompaniment changes character.

Word forms

Common combinations

figured bass line

The figured bass line is easy to read once you know the code.

realize a figured bass

Students learn to realize a figured bass at the keyboard.

figured bass notation

Figured bass notation uses numbers like 6 and 4 to indicate intervals.

play from a figured bass

In the ensemble, she played from a figured bass and added her own ornaments.

Synonyms and how they differ

continuo

Continuo refers to the accompanying group itself, while figured bass is the notation they read from.

thoroughbass

Thoroughbass is an older term for the same system, but it is less common today.

Word family

figured adjective

In music, 'figured' describes a bass part that has numbers added.

bass noun

The lowest pitch range or the lowest part in a piece of music.

Commonly confused: figured bass or bass clef?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “figured bass”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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