.. Throughout the Baroque period composers notated their keyboard
accompaniments with a tablature called figured bass or basso
continuo. The player was to use this has a basis for conceiving a
proper accompaniment.
It's easy to figure out the harmonies to be played. Lazy or
unskilled players would play the fat chords, this has become
institutionalized as correct by modern orchestras. In 'The Bach
Reader' the are three styles of accompaniment described. Bach was
not chording along but creating two real parts using the same melodic
materials as the other players and singers. His written out
accompaniments to the violin sonatas may serve as an example.
Does anyone but me feel that we have never heard any of Bach's
concerted works as he would have played them?. In his own time and
our own, players do not have the skills to create a real part from
figured bass. Bach was noted for throwing his wig at these hacks when
he was conducting. I'd like to share with others who wish to develop
their skills to this point.
