Exercise

Bass 291 — Fonte

SchemataC major

Corpus id bass-291 · cite this id — it is permanent

What it teaches

The Fonte: an applied 6/5 resolving down into the supertonic’s minor color, then the same gesture one step lower resolving into the tonic — the well that re-finds home.

The given bass

4/4	bar 1		bar 2		bar 3		bar 4
Bass	C3	C♯3	D3	B2	C3	G2	C3
Figures		6/5		6/5

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

The model realization

4/4	bar 1		bar 2		bar 3		bar 4
Soprano	G4	G4	F4	F4	E4	D4	E4
Alto	E4	E4	D4	D4	C4	B3	C4
Tenor	C4	A3	A3	G3	G3	G3	G3
Bass	C3	C♯3	D3	B2	C3	G2	C3
Figures		6/5		6/5

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

Riepel’s well: the music steps down into minor color and climbs back out. Each applied 6/5 stands on its leading tone and carries its seventh a fifth above the bass — prepared as a held common tone, falling as the model resolves. The second statement is the first written one step lower, which is the whole secret: a sequence so short it reads as a gesture, made for re-finding the tonic after a double bar.

At the keyboard

The three upper voices of the model realization fit under one hand. The bass itself does the chromatic work: C rises to C sharp in its own line, leans into D, and the whole gesture repeats a step lower on B leaning into C. Down into shadow, back into light. Carry it into G major, F major.

Voice-leading patterns this exercise drills

Cite this exercise

Gradus Figured-Bass Corpus, bass-291 — Fonte. v1.0. https://gradusmusic.com/figured-bass-corpus/exercise/bass-291

Corpus v1.0 · licensed CC-BY-4.0 · machine-readable at /api/v1/figured-bass/exercises/bass-291

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