Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An independent bassline, usually realized on a keyboard instrument, in which numerals written underneath the notes indicate the kinds of harmony to be played.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Same as
figured bass , which see, underbass .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Mus.) Basso continuo, or continued bass.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun music The
bass line ofmusic , especially for akeyboard instrument , that continues throughout a work
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a bass part written out in full and accompanied by numbers to indicate the chords to be played
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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For opera newbies, the continuo is a bassline played continuously (as the name implies) under the recitative or vocal line.
Madison.com - top 2009
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The sextet that performed (a pair each of violins and violas, and a continuo pairing of cello and harpsichord) offered a mixed baroque program in which three string sonatas by Tomaso Albinoni were heard alongside concertos and sonatas by Bach and Vivaldi, and by the less-encountered Georg Muffat and Henricus Albicastro.
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Artistic director Aapo Häkkinen anchored the ensemble from the harpsichord, providing a solid rhythmic foundation with his dynamic continuo realization.
Review: Helsinki Baroque Orchestra at Library of Congress Charles T. Downey 2010
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Highest praise is due to the four continuo players, ever sensuous and vivid.
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Patricia Mabee provided informed harpsichord continuo with an opportunity to shine bright in the fifth concerto's extensive solo cadenza.
Rodney Punt: The Brandenburgs Are Their Brand: LACO's Six Concertos of J.S. Bach Rodney Punt 2011
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The orchestra and continuo musicians, led by Grant Gershon, captured the spirit and swing of the music, but then, orchestra players are no strangers to Vivaldi.
The Tests of Patience Heidi Waleson 2011
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The strings and the continuo lutes had a fiercely tart and tangy sound, deliberately unsensual and arresting.
The Sad Tale It Tells Is Myth; Its Joys, Real Heidi Waleson 2011
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Italiano · USA: pellegrinaggio continuo sulle orme di Into the wild
Global Voices in English » USA: Pilgrimage into the Wild 2009
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The chorus of 34 and orchestra 42 players plus a continuo group of eight were superb; a group of the players even performed onstage in costume for the Dream scene.
The Sad Tale It Tells Is Myth; Its Joys, Real Heidi Waleson 2011
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Patricia Mabee provided informed harpsichord continuo with an opportunity to shine bright in the fifth concerto's extensive solo cadenza.
Rodney Punt: The Brandenburgs Are Their Brand: LACO's Six Concertos of J.S. Bach Rodney Punt 2011
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