ground bass
English composer
Definition
A repeated bass line of fixed length over which variations are built. The basis of Handel's Passacaille (Suite No. 7) and Chaconnes, derived from Baroque ostinato practice.
Interpretive Guidance
In ground bass works, the listener's pleasure comes from hearing the familiar bass return while the upper voices transform above it. As a performer, you must know the bass so well that it plays itself, freeing attention for the upper voices. In the Passacaille, mark clearly each new variation by a slight hesitation or touch change, so the structural seams are audible without being exaggerated.