|
Ostinato, an Italian word meaning "stubborn"
(compare English obstinate), is to classical music what
riffs are to popular music.
An ostinato is a bit of melody, a chord progression, or a bass figure that is repeated over and over as an accompaniment. Ostinato commonly vary as repeated, most often through rhythmic extension, truncation,
or displacement, but must remain identifiable. Ostinati are frequently used in Baroque music, where the basso continuo
invites the use of the technique, and fixed forms such as the passacaglia and the chaconne require it. The left
hand in boogie woogie piano
playing is another.
This article is a stub. You can
help Wikipedia by expanding it .
|