Scan 84
The American history and encyclopedia of music, 1910
53 lines. Read by computer on 11 September 2026. Printed page 60. See the scan on archive.org.
1Bass
23. A prefix indicating the lowest pitched instrument in a family, as bass-viol.
34. When used as a suffix to the name of an organ pipe it denotes that the pipe is connected with the pedal keyboard, as Gemshornbass. Abbr. B.
45. Formerly the name of a bowed instrument furnished with five or six strings and intermediate in size, between the cello and the double-bass.
56. In German the abbreviated name for Kontrabass (double-bass).
6bass, Alberti (äl-běr'-tē bās) It.
7See Alberti bass.
8bass bar
9A long, narrow strip of wood glued to the inner surface of the belly of instruments of the violin family, under the lowest or G string.
10bass beam
11See bass bar.
12bass bridge
13The thin strip of wood glued inside the viol under the bass string. Also called bass beam or bass bar.
14bass clarinet
15A clarinet an octave lower than the B flat clarinet. See also clarinet, bass. Abbr. B. Kl.
16bass clef
17The sign at the beginning of the staff which shows that the notes are in the bass. It is a modification of the letter F which has gone through various transitions before arriving at its present form. See also F clef.
18bass clef note
19The note which in the bass staff is placed on the same line with the bass clef, the fourth line.
20bass, continued
21An instrumental bass-part, which continues throughout the composition. Above or below each bass note are written Arabic numerals which represent certain notes. Those numerals in a vertical line above a bass note form a chord with it, and these chords played successively comprise the composition.
22bass, drone
23The monotonous base note produced by the largest tube of the bagpipe.
24basse figurée (bäs fē-gü-rā') Fr.
25Figured bass: bass to which the other parts, such as treble and alto, are indicated by figures written above and below the bass notes.
26Bassschlüssel
27bass, first
28A barytone voice; one between bass and tenor. Same as high bass.
29bass flute
30An obsolete instrument of the flute family. It was the instrument lowest in pitch of that species and was blown at the end like the flageolet. In order that the player might reach remote holes with his fingers an upward bending tube conveyed the air from his lips to the mouthpiece of the instrument. It was tuned from C on the first space below the bass clef to D on the second space above. Equivalent to flötebass.
31bass, fundamental
32Bass which contains the note from which the chord is built up. This bass is not intended to be played but to serve as a test of correctness of harmony.
33bass, given
34A bass to which the harmony, or accompanying chords must be added.
35bass, ground
36A bass passage four or eight bars long, repeated throughout the movement, having a subject of its own, and on each repetition having a new or varied melody.
37bass, high
38Same as first bass.
39bass horn
40A wood-wind instrument allied to the serpent. It had a wooden S-shaped tube fitted with metal bell and cupped mouthpiece. It had a dull tone and was slow to respond to the efforts of the player. It was invented by Frichot in 1804 and remained in common use only a short time. Its compass was from C on the second line below bass clef to C on the third line above the treble clef. It was much used in bands.
41bass, low
42A voice lower in range than the ordinary bass voice. Same as second bass.
43bass lute
44See theorbo.
45bass melodious
46See melodious bass.
47bass, principal
48See principal bass.
49bass, radical
50The bass from which the chords forming the other parts of a composition are built up. Same as fundamental bass.
51Bassschlüssel (bäs'-shlüs-sēl) Ger. n.
52Bass clef: the sign placed on the
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