Alberti bass

noun

Al·​ber·​ti bass al-ˈbər-tē How to pronounce Alberti bass (audio)
äl-ˈber-
: a repeated accompaniment figure (see figure entry 1 sense 15) common in 18th-century keyboard music that usually consists of the notes of a triad played in steady eighth or sixteenth notes in the order lowest-highest-middle-highest

Word History

Etymology

after Domenico Alberti † about 1740 Italian musician

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Alberti bass was in 1845

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Dictionary Entries Near Alberti bass

Albert I

Alberti bass

Albert II

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Alberti bass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Alberti%20bass. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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