Exercise

Bass 232 — Suspension 2–3, minor

SuspensionsA minor

Corpus id bass-232 · cite this id — it is permanent

What it teaches

The bass suspension in minor: the bass falls its half step onto the leading tone, and the chord of resolution is the dominant’s own first inversion.

The given bass

4/4	bar 1		bar 2		bar 3		bar 4		bar 5
Bass	A2		A2	G♯2	A2	D3	E3		A2
Figures			5/2	6			#

The given bass and its figures (A minor, 4/4; ⌒ = tied from the previous note)

The model realization

4/4	bar 1	bar 2		bar 3		bar 4	bar 5
Soprano	E4	E4	E4	E4	F4	E4	E4
Alto	C4	B3	B3	C4	D4	B3	C4
Tenor	A3	B3	B3	A3	A3	G♯3	A3
Bass	A2	A2	G♯2	A2	D3	E3	A2
Figures		5/2	6			#

The model realization (A minor, 4/4; ⌒ = tied from the previous note)

Minor gives the bass suspension its sharpest form: the held tonic strikes against the upper voices, then falls a semitone onto the raised leading tone, turning the dissonance directly into V6. The bass creates the tension, and the bass spends it — the upper voices merely stand and watch.

At the keyboard

The three upper voices of the model realization fit under one hand. The left hand’s fall is a half step onto G sharp — the bass resolves its own dissonance by becoming the leading tone. Carry it into E minor, D minor.

Voice-leading patterns this exercise drills

Cite this exercise

Gradus Figured-Bass Corpus, bass-232 — Suspension 2–3, minor. v1.0. https://gradusmusic.com/figured-bass-corpus/exercise/bass-232

Corpus v1.0 · licensed CC-BY-4.0 · machine-readable at /api/v1/figured-bass/exercises/bass-232

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