figured bass
- noun
- /ˈfɪɡərd bæs/
- Specialized
:
bajo cifrado
- For example, the harpsichordist in baroque music must follow figured bass symbols plus the sounds of the soloist as a structural basis for creating and performing (improvising) the continuo part.
Examples
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In music theory, students have to complete a four-part figured bass, identify scales, explain terminology such as Andante or Allegro, and notate complex rhythms.
Academic text (2014) -
A small baroque ensemble of strings and winds playing figured bass accompaniment can be compared to a Beijing operatic instrumental ensemble dominated by a percussion section.
Academic text (1997) -
Interpreting figured bass notation and uses of nonharmonic runes should complete the unit.
Academic text (1993) -
Four-part realization of figured bass symbols and/or Roman numerals
Academic text (1993) -
Chord charts, fake books, figured bass, and melodic and rhythmic ideas have been our sources and stimuli for firsthand experience with improvisation.
Academic text (1991) -
In baroque music, a musician uses figured bass to indicate the chords that should accompany the melody.
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The composed piece includes a figured bass part that musicians must interpret to perform correctly.
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When studying music theory, students learn to read figured bass to enhance their understanding of harmony.
Synonyms
A bass line written with numbers that show the chords to play
A low part in Baroque music that supports the harmony and is played throughout by instruments like cello and harpsichord
A continuous low bass part played on a keyboard alongside a bass instrument with numbers that show the chords
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a technical musicological term: 'figured' here means 'marked with numerical figures indicating chords', a specialized sense that an average B1 learner is unlikely to know, and 'bass' alone (low part) does not make the specific practice (a bass accompanied by numbers indicating harmony) predictable. Because the key sense of 'figured' is domain-specific and the overall meaning refers to a notational convention rather than a straightforward composition of common-word senses, the expression is opaque to learners.
Etymology
Figured bass comes from old keyboard music. Musicians wrote a low bass line with small figures, 'numbers', under or above the notes to show which 'chords' to play, so the term now means a bass part written with numbers that show the chords.
