‘TH RULES FIGURE 9.3 Cavio Cotumacel, "Rule of Ninth, and Octave” in Princip regal i potiment cn tele eton (autograph: Ne. Rar 1.9.14/)- By permission of the library ofthe conservatory 5. Pietro @ Mal, Naples, Suspensions in the Bass: The Second ‘This is the most important of all four suspensions. The three suspensions in the upper voices imay or may not appear; they belong to an intermediate stage of realization, and their presence is not necessary when one plays “with simple consonances.” On the contrary, the partimento itself dictates unmistakably the necessity ofthe second suspension. The rule on which all mas- ters, without exception, agreed was this: When the bass is tied, or sprcopated, a suspension occurs in the bass; the suspended note must resolve downward by step and is accompanied by a second and fourth in the upper voices; a sixth may or may not be added, Therefore, the second suspension did ‘not even need figutes in order to be identified; a suspension or a syncopation in the bass was enough. Most authors emphasize that the second is the only suspension that does not requite prep: aration, When you want to play a second and fourth suspension above a suspended bass, you do not need to prepare the right-hand dissonance; you simply play it di botto (abruptly). From a theoretical point of view, this remark makes litle sense; the dissonance, when it occurs in a tied ot syncopated bass, is already prepared by prolongation of the previous, consonant, tone. From 2 practical point of view, however, this warning is useful because it sets students free from any unnecessary concer and allows them to concentrate on the upper voices. ‘When occurring in the bass, the second suspension forms a more complex figure than the others, because one must consider not only the resolution but also the note following it. There are two possible patterns: either the bass resolves down a half step and returns to the first note of the figure, or it resolves down @ half step or a whole step and proceeds further in the same direction, The first motion consists in a complete neighboring figure; the second results in a descending-fourth progression. The distinction between the two figures is ofthe utmost impor tance, especially for unfigured partimenti, because it determines the quality of the fourth. ifthe suspended bass descends a half step and then comes back tothe fist tone, the suspension will be accompanied with the “minor” fourth (in modern terminology, perfect fourth; Example 9.290) But if the suspended bass does not return to the first tone of the figute, the suspension will be 135‘TELE ART OF PARTIMENTO EXAMPLE 9.29 “Minor” and “major” fourth in bass suspensions . [ose wre rat, ny v “nor fourth "sjor fourth = ‘accompanied with the “major? fourth (in modem terminology, augmented fourth; Example 9.29). Example 9.29 shows a well-known example ofthese two motions occurs in direct succession. ‘There are several possibilities for resolution of the second, When accompanied by the minor" fourth, there are three: (a) with three voices, the fourth and the second remain stationary and become a diminished triad; (b) with three (or four) voices, the second remains stationary and becomes a third, and the fourth moves upward to a sixth; and finally, (c) with four voices, the chord resolves on a § chord with a “false” fifth (Example 9.30). When the fourth is "major," it must resolve upward to a sixth; the sixth is tied over the next bass note, producing a seventh suspension on the leading tone of the final bass note. The result isa con- ‘trapuntal cadence that produces a terminazione di tono, on the last note of this motion (as in Example 9.29) Suspensions in the bass often occur in series; there is no limit to the number of occur- rences, because this motion “may last for several bars.” When the suspensions in the bass ‘occur in series, they are generally diatonic and the quality of the fourths is determined by theit position in the scale. A frequent exception concems the last suspension in a row. In general, the “major” fourth appears on @ on its way to ©-©-(®)-O. in the major mode, the last suspended bass note moves down a half step, and the quality of the fourth will be naturally major” (augmented) (Example 9 31b). In the minor mode, the interval between the suspended bass andts resolution isa whole step: in this case the fourth will be artificially raised to "major* EXAMPLE 9.30 85s suspensions with ded “alse” fit, 4‘THE RULES EXAMPLE 9.31. Bass suspensions in series 46465 $6 6M 67 8 oy i 4 o a » » DEE (Example 9.312: here a cadence confirms the arcival on the tonic). However, Valente admits that for the sake of melody (per modo cantabile) all fourths may be augmented (Example 9.1¢). Finally, suspensions in the bass have greater tonal consequences than those occurring in the upper voices; these effects ate discussed in Class V. | pol, SU Yo gone CLASS IV\ BASS MOTIONS : A significant part of partimento theory is devoted to bass motions occurring in a regular series of intervals. Bass motions (usually called mati or andamenti del basso) are a complement to the RO; together they constitute the fundaments of partimento theory and play a crucial part im cighteenth-century compositional practic. Identification of these motions has a practical func tion: they help the performer of an unfigured bass decide which chord to give toa disjunct bass line, where the RO has no use. On a more advanced level, the models of bass motions form a set of schemata for immediate use in free composition. ‘The rules concerning bass motions are copious and detailed, and they can be divided into two groups: conjunct and disjunct motions. Conjunct motions include all stepwise progres sions of the bass in the same direction, both diatonic and chromatic. Disjunct motions coincide mostly with sequences—that is, with regular transpositions of a model (an interval) consis of two bass notes. Bass conjunct motions (in themselves nonsequentil) often use sequential accompaniments (for example, the several patterns for accompaniment of the ascending scale. ‘There is also the possibility that a disjunct regular motion cannot form a sequence because each step consists ofa single note. In theory, there are only two possible motions ofthis kind: chains of fifths (fourths) and thirds (ssths). In practice, however, chains of fifths are never described in partimento rules, and they only appear in their sequential version (as “bass ascending by fifth and descending by fourth”); instead, descending (never ascending) third chains are included in the rules and appear regularly in partimenti, - 5 Aspects of Rhythm and Meter ‘A scale accompanied by the RO uses only one chord for each bass note; consequently, there ate no metrical units shorter than the single bass note. This does not mean that the RO is, 15