Continuo

What it means

Continuo, short for basso continuo, is the continuous bass part of Baroque music, forming both the harmonic foundation and the lowest sounding layer of a piece. It is typically realized by at least two instruments: a bass instrument such as cello, bassoon, or violone, playing the written bass line, and a chordal instrument such as harpsichord, organ, or lute, improvising the harmonies above it.

In the notation

The continuo part is usually notated as figured bass: a single bass line, with figures placed above or below it that tell the chordal player which intervals to play above the bass note, without writing out the chords themselves. The exact realization, voicing, and rhythmic shaping are left to the performer.

Musical use

Continuo underpins virtually all instrumental music and much vocal music of the Baroque era, roughly 1600 to 1750, and was such a standard part of performance practice that it was often only sparsely figured in the parts. It forms the tonal backbone over which melody instruments or voices can unfold freely.

Continuo should be distinguished from a fully written-out, fixed bass line without figuring, as became common in later music: there the harmony is already completely fixed, whereas continuo leaves room for interpretation by the performing musician. It also differs from figured bass as a mere notational form, in that continuo refers to the sounding realization by the instruments involved, not just the notation itself.

Performance practice

When realizing a continuo part, take your cue from the style and character of the piece: a fast dance movement calls for a leaner, rhythmically pointed accompaniment, a sustained recitative for a more restrained, chordally spread-out one. Always listen to the solo part or melody instrument and adjust the density and volume of the accompaniment so it supports without covering.