basso continuo

noun

Music.

1. continuo.

basso continuo

noun

1. Often shortened to: continuo. another term for thorough bass

Word History and Origins

Origin of basso continuo¹

First recorded in 1665–75

Word History and Origins

Origin of basso continuo¹

Italian, literally: continuous bass

Example Sentences

Scored for five voices, five unspecified instrumental parts and basso continuo, the music is reverent and wistful.

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Although he has rarely spoken about it, this staggering early blow lingers in the recesses of Ashbery’s mature work, lending his writing a basso continuo of transience, elegy and loss.

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All of this was, however, accompanied by a strong basso continuo: the candidate’s business experience, financial independence, and fabled prowess at negotiation and “the art of the deal.”

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The musicians give the accompaniment, a single basso continuo line, pleasing variety because of the various combinations of bass viol, harpsichord, organ, lute and theorbo.

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Within it all, squeaking metal yielded a high-pitched ostinato, and the ever-so-slightly-clattery rumble of the train was the high-tech equivalent of a Baroque basso continuo.

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