Ways of writing

Ground bass

A melody, sometimes up to eight bars in length, which is played throughout the bass part of a piece of music and over which the rest of the composition is built. A device often used in Baroque music, eg Dido’s Lament from ‘Dido and Aeneas’ by Purcell. Listen to an excerpt of music by Purcell for two countertenors (male altos) with a ground bass played by cello as part of the continuo.

Now listen to another example from later in the Baroque period by the composer J S Bach. In this excerpt you will notice that the ground bass is played by the continuo of cello and organ and is also at times sung by the bass voice, the soloist.

Not all ground basses are confined to Baroque music, or indeed other 'Classical music'. Listen to a ground bass being used in a piece of soul music.

Inverted pedal

The ‘opposite’ of a pedal. A long sustained note in the top of or above a melody. Notice that this excerpt, also from the Romantic period, is in compound time and that there is an inverted pedal which is also played tremolando. 

Polyphony

A style of music in two or more parts in which each part is independent and of equal importance. First listen to this short theme by Beethoven from the start of the Romantic period. 

   Now listen to a fugue, a polyphonic style of music built on that theme. Notice how the music is built up with the theme entering at different pitches.