Basso Continuo Notation of the Baroque Period

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Basso Continuo Notation of the Baroque Period
Abstract
In the medieval and renaissance eras, many forms of music were monophonic and for religious purposes. Composers performed music with little accompaniment to instruments such as the harpsichord or a cello. Tonal music was also more accepted and applauded in society than instrumental music. In the long run, polyphonic chant developed, which started as monophonic songs sung in third and fifth notes, and later, Baroque music evolved (Treitler, 1992). In the Baroque period, composers made improvements to incorporate musical symbols and numbers that directed the players, which later became the notation in today's contemporary world. In this regard, the use of figured bass and basso continuo musical notations set the foundation for Baroque music and all music after the era. Music notation is a system used to visually represent music sung by the human voice or played with instruments, whether printed or written, including the notations for durations of the absence of sound, such as rests. The basso continuo notation indicated notational symbols of baseline, incorporated in music accompaniments by different instruments such as the harp, violin, stringed keyboards, and harpsichords. This write-up will expand on the history of the musical notation system, basso continuo and figured bass musical notation, and famous composers of basso continuo in the Baroque era.
History and Background of Music Notation System
The essential elements of music notation sounds include volume, pitch, and duration. Pitch refers to the frequency properties of the sound wave, whereby a higher pitch is associated with a high sound wave frequency. On the other hand, volume is the intensity of the sound, which is the most vital characteristic of music. Conversely, duration refers to the tempo and rhythm of the sound. In this regard, music notations seek to assign standardized music symbols to the musical elements so that individuals can play and recreate music even if they have not heard it before. The crotchets, staves, and quavers notations in the contemporary world are the product of centuries of refinement and innovation. The history behind musical notation runs pretty deep, whereby as the bars and dots seem simple to the eye, they convey complex language to convey creative ideas.
The Babylonians created the earliest forms of music notation about 1400 BCE, found in cuneiform. The tablet comprises instructions from the composers to players made in harmonies of thirds using a diatonic scale. On the other hand, a tablet in 1250 BCE shows an improvement in music notation, indicating the names of strings on a lyre. However, the interpretation of the notation system is debatable. In ancient Greece, between the sixth century BCE and the fourth century CE, musical notations were viable examples being the seikilos epitaph. Music notations in the centuries consisted of letter symbols placed above text syllables for the pitches. Long and short symbols represent rhythm in the music. Greece notation fell short of use when the Western Roman Empire declined. Byzantine music has survived as vocal church music characterized by a monophonic chant in byzantine round nota...