In the sixteenth century accompaniments were played on a number of musical instruments;
organs, harps, lutes, chittaroni, viols or combinations of these. Sometimes the parts were fully written out but often they were simple enough for the accompanying player to fill in over a bass line using block harmony and working just from the full score. By the seventeenth century, the practice of accompanying upon the Thorough Bass, where the accompanist might add a varying degree of ornamentation to a simple bass line, the nature and degree depending on the occasion, meant that it was no longer possible nor indeed helpful to write out every last note; to do so would have restricted the freedom that a well-trained accompanist had, and expected to have, in order to display his extemporising skills. Even so, the accompanist was expected to observe the rhythmic and harmonic structure of the musical line and, for this reason, a form of 'harmonic shorthand' was developed that provided just enough information to extemporise an accompaniment but without making the part over-restrictive. This 'harmonic shorthand' is called 'figured bass' or 'thorough bass'. The first example, taken from Syntagma Musicum (1619) by Michael Praetorius, is one he gives and the realisation below it is his own. You will see that more has been 'added' than just bare block chords.
In figured bass notation, an F written on the bass clef automatically "implies" the harmonies shown here on the treble clef. The normal harmony was a perfect diatonic triad built on the bass note, as shown here in the first measure. Numerical figures indicate alterations of the normal triad: a "6" meant that the fifth interval above the root would be replaced by the sixth. (See measure 2.) Adding a "4" to this figuration meant that the third interval (C) should be replaced by the fourth (D). (See measure 3.) Chromatic alterations could be indicated by adding marks such as a slash through the upper portion of a "6" to show that the sixth interval was to be raised by a half step. That's the system, in a nutshell, but what is amazing is the complexity of the instantaneous compositions that musicians could create over this simple framework. One can get a pretty clear idea of the art's complexities by viewing the next few multimedia pages. They show (and play aloud) famous examples of thorough-bass accompaniment drawn from Johann David Heinichen's Der General-Bass in der Composition [Thorough-Bass in Composition] (1728). Heinichen illustrates the development of a thorough-bass accompaniment from a bass line to final improvisation or to use the technical term, "realization" of a written thorough- bass. First, on the next page, see how the music looks to the improvising harpsichord accompanist:
Hi, Gustave; I hope this finds you well, and in great spirits. This lesson is going to address one of the questions you brought up earlier: . . . you can try some of Pistons exercises. . . I would love to, but I dont understand how Pistons figured bass works. I can easily and spontaneously create chord voicings (open and closed) from jazz chord charts, but I must be missing something here I might have to go back to some basics. Aldwell has some information on figured bass, and there are some decent explanations from other texts, as well. I'll scan and paste them here, and go over them with you. Before referring to them, though, I would like to make a few important points: Figured bass also known as thorough bass was a practice used for certain accompanying, chordal instruments (mainly keyboards and various precursors to the guitar) during the Baroque period (ca. 1600 - 1750). (In fact, some figured bass was also occasionally used by Mozart and his contemporaries.) It was a specific kind of musical shorthand analogous, in some ways, to today's jazz fake sheets that made life a little easier for the composer, and allowed for some creative improvisation on the part of the performer. (Improvisation was far more prevalent in Baroque practices especially in melodic and rhythmic ornamentation than was the case in classical music from that time until the 1960s). In brief the texts will explain it in more detail a bass line was given, with accompanying figures ie, numbers written below each note. These numbers stood for intervals specifically, the intervals to be found above the written bass note. Usually, the intervals given would correspond to those found in a typical triad or 7th chord. Since the intervals in a root position triad (one in which the root is in the bass) are a 3rd and a 5th both measured from the bass (this is always the practice) the figures 3 and 5 would be written below the bass note which, in this case, would be the root of the triad like this: . . . and would mean this: . . . or any other voicing of this chord eg, with open spacing, doubling, etc. so long as it has its root as bass note. The standard figured bass notation has the figures stacked, one above the other, as shown. Because were using word-processing programs, and typingthese lessons, however, we can ease up on tradition, and write our figures as for example 5/3. In figured bass (as well as in harmonic analysis), the interval indicated by a given figure can be either a simple interval ie, any interval up to an octave in size or its compound equivalent. For example, the figured bass 3 can mean a 3rd, or a 10th or a 17th, etc. the choice is up to the player. The same is true in reverse: if you wish to write a figured bass for a given chord, a 3rd, 10th, or 17th within that chord are all written as 3. Since any chord can be inverted one, two or three times (first inversionmeans that the 3rd of the chord is in the bass; second inversion means that the 5th of the chord is in the bass; third inversion means that the 7th of the chord is in the bass), the corresponding intervals change accordingly. For example, the intervals in a first inversion chord measured from the bass, again are a 3rd and a 6th. The figured bass is therefore written: . . . which means this: The intervals in a second inversion triad are a 4th and a 6th: . . . which means this: The figured bass for 7th chords and their inversions is a little more complicated, but is addressed in Aldwell (if not in the material that I'll paste here). Since figured bass was used all the time, during the Baroque period, composers and musicians developed a further simplification for it: since everyone knew that the intervals in a root position triad are always a 3rd and a 5th, the simplification was to write no figure at all under a root position bass note. For example, in figured bass, this: . . . means: So, a bass note with no figure beneath it means that that bass note is the root of a chord. Along the same lines, the first inversion chord was figured as 6 instead of 6/3. Therefore, a bass note with a 6 beneath it automatically means that that bass note represents the third of a chord, and that there will be two notes one at an interval of a 3rd, and one at an interval of a 6th above it. (Please note that these numbers refer to intervals, and not to chord members. In the case of a first inversion chord, we see a bass note which represents the third of the chord. The first figure the 6 means that the next note is an interval of a 6th above that bass note it doesn't mean that it's some kind of 6 chord!. It turns out that that note will be the rootof the chord since the root, in a first inversion chord, is found at an interval of a 6th above the bass.) The figures for a second inversion chord are always written in full: Figures can also refer to notes that do not belong to a triad or 7th chord they can also indicate suspensions, anticipations, passing notes, etc. For example: let's say you want to write a Dsus, followed by an ordinary D major chord. In a non-simplified figured bass, this would be written as: The dotted line simply means the 5th is held while the 4th resolves to the 3rd: In simplified form (which is the usual form), the above would be written 4 3 , since the 5th is understood. In a way, a performer could read and play a figured bass without knowing the name or inversion of the chord being played he could simply read the figures a kind of paint-by- numbers. Of course, we also want to know everything about the chord -- not just its figures! In both your harmony books and in the material that I'll paste here, you will have to distinguish between two different things: figured bass as used during the Baroque and the combination of figured bass and roman numerals that is used in typical harmonic analysis. True figured bass does not involve the use of roman numerals it simply uses the figures, as described above. However, almost all harmony text books utilize roman numerals along with figured bass, to show not only the scale degree upon which the chord is built (eg, ii, IV, etc), but also the inversion that is being used. Okay, on to the different texts. First, from Basic Harmony, by David Cameron: Here is another perspective on the same thing, from our second text Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music, by Robert Gauldin: Why not try what the author next suggests and then email me your results: Now we get to Aldwell page 53 in my version from chapter 4 (Triads and Seventh Chords). Here Aldwell goes over specific procedures pertaining to writing figured bass. Note that in illustration 4-9, Aldwell intends that you understand that he means the performer would be playing both clefs: All of this is, of course, a brief summary. Here are the steps I would suggest you take, in order to begin to assimilate figured bass: 1. Memorize both the full and simplified figures used for root position, first inversion and second inversion chords. If you would like to make up some exercises eg, write a chord progression in full, then re-write it as figured bass please go ahead, and then email me the results, so that I can check it. 2. Study and memorize the full and simplified figures used for seventh chords go to Aldwell (same chapter), paragraph 14: Inversions of seventh chords. If you have any questions about any of it, please ask me! 3. When you think you've assimilated the basics, try the following exercises: 4. a. Exercises A and B, by Gauldin (above). b. Try to realize the following figured bass, by Handel. c. 1. Notes: 2. i. the circled notes in the figured bass are not meant to be realized they are non-harmonic tones passing notes, appoggiaturas, etc. ii. Ive entered a few figures in parentheses that would not have been necessary during Handels day, but that may make your task a little easier. (Ill explain the thinking behind the original practice, in the future.) Send me your work when you've completed it. And please feel free to ask me any questions as you go along. Last, here's a figured bass from one of the most beautiful pieces of music in existence it's from the opening of Bach's St. Matthew Passion. The cello and organ play the figured bass its on the lowest staff, with figures highlighted in yellow but all the other instruments (and voices) realize it on their own, too. You can try to realize the figured bass, and then see if you're correct, by examining what everyone else is playing. Note: the entire passage involves the use of a tonic pedal read about it in Piston and Aldwell, and ask me about it if necessary. Please dont hesitate to email any questions you may have. . . Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, andnon-chord tones, in relation to a bass note. Figured bass is closely associated with basso continuo, anaccompaniment used in almost all genres of music in the Baroque period, though rarely in modern music. Other systems for denoting or representing chords include: [1] plain staff notation, used in classical music,Roman numerals, commonly used in harmonic analysis, [2] macro symbols, sometimes used in modernmusicology, and various names and symbols used in jazz and popular music. Figured bass notation A part notated with figured bass consists of a bass-line notated with notes on a musical staff plus added numbers and accidentals beneath the staff to indicate what intervals above the bass notes should be played, and therefore which inversions of which chords are to be played. The phrase tasto solo indicates that only the bass line (without any upper chords) is to be played for a short period, usually until the next figure is encountered. Composers were inconsistent in the usages described below. Especially in the 17th century, the numbers were omitted whenever the composer thought the chord was obvious. Early composers such as Claudio Monteverdi often specified the octave by the use of compound intervals such as 10, 11, and 15. Contemporary Figured Bass as taught at university level, may be summarized as follows, for memorization. For diatonic triads: root position = blank or 5/3 1st Inversion = 6 or 6/3 2nd Inversion = 6/4 For 7th chords: root position = 7 1st Inversion = 6/5 2nd Inversion = 4/3 3rd Inversion = 4/2 [edit]Numbers The numbers indicate the number of scale steps above the given bass-line that a note should be played. For example:
Here, the bass note is a C, and the numbers 4 and 6 indicate that notes a fourth and a sixth above it should be played, that is an F and an A. In other words, the second inversion of an F major chord is to be played. In cases where the numbers 3 or 5 would normally be indicated, these are usually (though not always) left out, owing to the frequency these intervals occur. For example:
In this sequence, the first note has no numbers accompanying itboth the 3 and the 5 have been omitted. This means that notes a third above and a fifth above should be playedin other words, a root position chord. The next note has a 6, indicating a note a sixth above it should be played; the 3 has been omittedin other words, this chord is in first inversion. The third note has only a 7 accompanying it; here, as in the first note, both the 3 and the 5 have been omittedthe seven indicates the chord is a seventh chord. The whole sequence is equivalent to:
although the performer may choose which octave to play the notes in and will often elaborate them in some way rather than play only chords, depending on the tempo and texture of the music. Sometimes, other numbers are omitted: a 2 on its own or 42 indicate 642, for example. Sometimes the figured bass number changes but the bass note itself does not. In these cases the new figures are written wherever in the bar they are meant to occur. In the following example, the top line is supposed to be a melody instrument and is given merely to indicate the rhythm (it is not part of the figured bass itself):
When the bass note changes but the notes in the chord above it are to be held, a line is drawn next to the figure or figures to indicate this:
The line extends for as long as the chord is to be held. [edit]Accidentals When an accidental is shown on its own without a number, it applies to the note a third above the lowest note; most commonly, this is the third of the chord. Otherwise, if a number is shown, the accidental affects the said interval. For example, this:
is equivalent to this:
Sometimes the accidental is placed after the number rather than before it. Alternatively, a cross placed next to a number indicates that the pitch of that note should be raised by a semitone (so that if it is normally a flat it becomes a natural, and if it is normally a natural it becomes a sharp). A different way to indicate this is to draw a bar through the number itself. The following three notations, therefore, all indicate the same thing: