ostinato bass
Italian composer
Definition
A persistently repeated bass figure — rhythmic, harmonic, or melodic — that underpins a contrasting upper voice. Shostakovich uses ostinato bass extensively in his toccata passages, passacaglia-like structures, and march sequences.
Interpretive Guidance
Keep the bass ostinato rhythmically rigid and dynamically subordinate unless the score specifically brings it forward. The tension between a mechanical bass and an expressive melody is a defining texture.