music theory for musicians and normal people by toby w. rush musical works written in the baroque era would often include a part called the basso continuo which would Figured Bass consist of a single bass clef melodic line with various numbers and accidentals printed beneath the notes. no, no, no... there wasn’t an actual instrument called a basso continuo! the part was played by two instruments: a bass clef instrument like cello or bassoon, and a keyboard instrument like a harpsichord.

in performances, the bass clef instrument would simply play the given notes, but the keyboard player would improvise a part based on the notes and the symbols below the part!

j.S. Bach: brandenberg concerto no. 5, bwv 1050 ?# œ #œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ so this...# œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ 6 6 #6 6 #6 6 6 #6 6 9 5 6 # Figure 1. e Basso Continuo # 5 5 5 could be played as this!

the numbers and symbols # j printed below the basso # œ œ œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ #œ œœ œ œ œ œ continuo part are called œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œœ œ œ #œ the figured bass. So how J J do you turn figured bass into chords? ? # œ #œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ first of all, it’s important to know that the note given on the bass clef part is always the bass note of the chord. and remember: the bass is not necessarily the root!

second, the numbers represent intervals ?# w ?# w ?# w above the bass, even # w # w # w though some numbers (5) 6 w6 are usually left out. (3) (3) 4 if there are a six by itself a six and a four note that the intervals no numbers, indicates a sixth indicate a sixth are always diatonic. add a third and and a third above and a fourth don’t worry about a fifth above the the bass, which above the bass, inflection... just use bass... you get a creates a first giving you a second the notes from the root position triad! inversion triad! inversion triad! key signature!

lastly, accidentals are applied to the interval nw they appear with. if you ?# #w ?# #w ?# w have an accidental by # w # w # w itself, it applies to the w third above the bass. #6 # n 6 don’t overthink these: here, the sharp here, there is no note that there is if the composer wants applies to the number next to the a natural, not a flat, a note raised by a half- sixth above the sharp, so we apply next to the six... bass, so we add a it to the third above if it were a flat, we step and it’s flatted in sharp to the g. the bass note. would write a c flat. the key signature, the figured bass will have a natural, not a sharp.

by the time the classical period got realizing figured bass (writing chords going, composers stopped including a given a figured bass line) makes for an basso continuo part, and so figured excellent exercise for students to learn bass fell out of use... with only one how to write in the common practice exception: music theory classes! period style! wooo!

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