ground bass

American  

[beys] / beɪs /

noun

Music.

1. a short fundamental bass part continually repeated throughout a movement.

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ground bass British  

/ beɪs /

noun

1. music a short melodic bass line that is repeated over and over again

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Etymology

Origin of ground bass

First recorded in 1690–1700

Example Sentences

Yet Johnson’s overall sprightliness covers a ground bass of melancholy and lament.

From Washington Post

She’s the calm center, the ground bass, and though she acknowledges the looser culture around her with a shy shimmy, the influence flows more strongly in the opposite direction.

From New York Times

But the raucous swallows, the woman’s droning commands, the ground bass of the machinery mesmerized her.

From Literature

The “Goldberg” Variations, too, unfold over a ground bass, beginning with a descent from G to D, but this time in G major.

From New York Times

Both use a "passacaglia" or "ground bass", and share an intensity and sobriety of mood.

From The Guardian