ground bass

Ground bass describes a compositional technique in which all the melodies, chords, and rhythms are built on top of an unchanging melody in the lowest line of music (the bass). It can also be used to refer to just this bass line or to the entire work.

Ground bass : a specific type of ostinato in which a bass line repeats throughout a work or section. The work itself can also be called a ground bass. Chaconne and Passacaglia (and international variant spellings such as “Chacony”): sub-genres of the Baroque ground bass.

Basso ostinato. Another name for the ground bass comes from Baroque Italian musicians: basso ostinato, meaning "persistent" or "obstinate" bass.

The bass serves not as a redundant and mechanical facet of the composition but as the thread that ties it all together. Moreover, it does not persist independently but is interwoven with the vocal line as a partner in the communication of the text. Thus, we see how Purcell blends regularity and irregularity.

The left hand of the harpsichord and the bass viol play the ground bass - a repeating bass pattern that acts as an ac- companiment. The right hand of the harpsichord plays a “realisation” (which would have been improvised at the time), which fills out the chords of the piece. This piece was written in the Baroque era.

Songs that Have a Lot of Bass - Best Songs to Test Bass

• “Of Reality – Palingenesis” – Tesseract.
• “New Born” – Muse.
• “Welcome to the Party” – Pop Smoke.
• “Dim” – Skyharbor.
• “Moon Man” – Young Thug ft.
• “Le Freak” – CHIC.
• “Them Changes” – Thundercat.
• “Another Day” – Kid Cudi. Kid Cudi - Another Day (Official Visualizer)

Ground bass is the term used in Baroque music where a bass part is repeated throughout the piece and is the foundation upon which the melody to Music for a While is written. The repetition contributes to the calming and hypnotic atmosphere of the music.

The left hand of the harpsichord plays the ground bass. The ground bass is also played by the bass viol. This is a bowed, fretted, stringed instrument used during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Ground Bass

• NPO Klassiek. Henry Purcell - Music for a While (Opening Splendor) NPO Klassiek.
• Netherlands Bach Society. Bach - Cantata Jesu, der du meine Seele BWV 78 - Van Veldhoven | Netherlands Bach Society.
• accentusmusic. Midori plays Bach - Chaconne, Partita No.
• Coldplay. Coldplay - Viva La Vida (Official Video)

Chords were usually diatonic - major or minor - with the occasional use of chromaticisms to give added 'colour' to chords. The use of ground bass was common in many compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel.

The left hand of the harpsichord plays the ground bass. The ground bass is also played by the bass viol. This is a bowed, fretted, stringed instrument used during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Ground bass is the term used in Baroque music where a bass part is repeated throughout the piece and is the foundation upon which the melody to Music for a While is written. The repetition contributes to the calming and hypnotic atmosphere of the music.