Passacaglia
Passacaglia (or Chaconne or Ground Bass) is a composition procedure popularized in the Baroque era. The main characteristic of this procedure is its repeated bass lines (basso obstinato). The basso obstinato is usually introduced first, so the audience can hear it, before the ornamental right hand embellish it and relegates the basso obstinato into the structural background. Typical of other Baroque music, Passacaglia showcase the combination of control (the basso continuo) and freedom (the ornamentation).
In this post, we will sample a few examples of Passacaglia. As you go through each recording, try to recognize the structure and cyclical nature of the basso continuo. Also see if you can figure out the difference of one from another.
Purcell’s Ground in C Minor
I guarantee you can’t miss the basso continuo. It starts with basso continuo alone, then an octave and ended in reverse.
Purcell’s A New Ground (in E Minor)
Another Purcell’s piece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRqT0SY-PV8
Notice what’s different? It has a 3-bar continuo theme.
Handel’s Passacaille/Keyboard Suite HWV. 432
This piece is quite popular. You can see it performed on the harpsichord, on the organ, and on the harp.
Halvorsen’s Passacaglia based on Handel’s theme
There are also many arrangements for this piece: Violin & Viola, Violin & Cello. Here’s the score for Violin and Viola arrangement.
Bach’s C Minor Passacaglia
Rather than the usual 4-bar basso obstinato, Bach uses an 8-bar basso obstinato and provide 20 variations (instead of the usual 5/6). Despite the cyclical nature of Passacaglia, Bach’s C Minor Passacaglia didn’t feel static. Bach achieves this by building up the polyphony from variations 1-10, adding layers and more complicated melodies. In variations 11-15, he brings the basso obstinato up and remove the layers, which make it sound softer, before returning to the full polyphony in variations 16-20. All in all, this piece showcases the genius of Bach in composing a Passacaglia.
Because of its complexity, at times it can be hard to hear the basso obstinato. I find this visualization helpful to keep track where the basso obstinato is.