Definition of figured bass in US English:
figured bass
nounˈfiɡyərd bāsˈfɪɡjərd beɪs
Music A bass line with the intended harmonies indicated by figures rather than written out as chords, typical of continuo parts in baroque music.
Example sentencesExamples
- Schenkerian graphs also typically contain analytical markings such as Roman numerals for the harmony, scale-degree numbers and occasionally figured bass and analysis brackets.
- So actually, beyond Bach, what was the ground bass, or the figured bass, actually evolves, and takes on new forms in later forms of composition.
- Otherwise, composing instruction in the mid-19th century seems to have stuck stubbornly to a mixture of figured bass and so-called strict counterpoint.
- Dr Sawkins added a figured bass line. He made 1,139 corrections and additions to the notation necessary to make the music playable;
- The Sabilla Novello volume mentioned earlier gives a pretty comprehensive grounding in figured bass.