continuo
noun
con·tin·uo
kən-ˈtin-yə-ˌwō 
-ˈti-nə-
plural continuos
: a bass part (as for a keyboard or stringed instrument) used especially in baroque ensemble music and consisting of a succession of bass notes with figures that indicate the required chords
called also figured bass, thoroughbass
Examples of continuo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The continuo group — cellist Guy Fishman and organist Ian Watson — did yeoman work throughout the program.
—
David Weininger, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Oct. 2022
The continuo was judiciously realized by Michael Sponseller on harpsichord and Jacob Street on organ.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2022
They’re normally performed unaccompanied these days, but in Bach’s day they were supported with discreet continuo.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 4 Oct. 2021
This is where soprano Anna Christofaro first emerged, lending soulful gentleness to a pair of arias from Bach cantatas with Merblum and Boehnke laying a continuo foundation beneath her.
—Rob Hubbard, Star Tribune, 22 Feb. 2021
Listen out for the slow middle movement without a continuo, solemn and still, set against a charming gavotte to wrap up.
—E.c., The Economist, 21 May 2020
Scored for five voices, five unspecified instrumental parts and basso continuo, the music is reverent and wistful.
—New York Times, 20 Mar. 2020
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David Weininger, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Oct. 2022
The continuo was judiciously realized by Michael Sponseller on harpsichord and Jacob Street on organ.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2022
They’re normally performed unaccompanied these days, but in Bach’s day they were supported with discreet continuo.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 4 Oct. 2021
This is where soprano Anna Christofaro first emerged, lending soulful gentleness to a pair of arias from Bach cantatas with Merblum and Boehnke laying a continuo foundation beneath her.
—Rob Hubbard, Star Tribune, 22 Feb. 2021
Listen out for the slow middle movement without a continuo, solemn and still, set against a charming gavotte to wrap up.
—E.c., The Economist, 21 May 2020
Scored for five voices, five unspecified instrumental parts and basso continuo, the music is reverent and wistful.
—New York Times, 20 Mar. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Continuo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/continuo. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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