Exercise

Bass 318 — Unfigured: cadence recognition, minor

Unfigured bassD minorunfigured bass

Corpus id bass-318 · cite this id — it is permanent

What it teaches

The bare minor bass: the ♭6 falling a half step onto the dominant can only be the Phrygian formula, and the repeated dominant at the close can only be the 4–♯ suspension.

The given bass

4/4	bar 1		bar 2		bar 3		bar 4		bar 5
Bass	D3		B♭2	A2	D3	G2	A2	A2	D3
Figures			6	#			4	#

The given bass — unfigured: the student supplies the figures (D minor, 4/4; ⌒ = tied from the previous note)

The model realization

4/4	bar 1	bar 2		bar 3		bar 4		bar 5
Soprano	F4	G4	A4	A4	G4	E4	E4	F4
Alto	D4	D4	E4	F4	D4	D4	C♯4	D4
Tenor	A3	D4	C♯4	D4	B♭3	A3	A3	A3
Bass	D3	B♭2	A2	D3	G2	A2	A2	D3
Figures		6	#			4	#

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

Minor’s unfigured bass is more legible than major’s, because its formulas carry fingerprints: the sixth degree a half step above the dominant exists to fall, so the ♭6-to-5 bass motion IS the Phrygian close and its figures follow; and a bass that stands on the dominant for a full bar before the final has left room for exactly one thing — the suspension and the sharp that resolves it.

At the keyboard

The three upper voices of the model realization fit under one hand. Two recognitions carry the whole exercise: B flat falling to A is minor’s own half close and writes its 6 and ♯ for you; a dominant struck twice at the end is asking for the 4 and then the ♯. Carry it into A minor, G minor.

Voice-leading patterns this exercise drills

Cite this exercise

Gradus Figured-Bass Corpus, bass-318 — Unfigured: cadence recognition, minor. v1.0. https://gradusmusic.com/figured-bass-corpus/exercise/bass-318

Corpus v1.0 · licensed CC-BY-4.0 · machine-readable at /api/v1/figured-bass/exercises/bass-318

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