Taught by renowned pianist
John Mortensen
How were musicians of the 18th-century such good improvisers? The answer, in a word, is partimento. The tradition of teaching music through the practical realization of shorthand bass lines – much like how a jazz musician plays from a lead sheet – served a social function in 18th-century Italy, as it gave orphans a practical skill to use in training to become a professional musician. Partimento would prove a useful tool in educating the composers and performing musicians of Europe through the 19th and early 20th centuries through the influence of the Paris Conservatory. And today, in the 21st-century, scholar-performers like John Mortensen are helping to resurrect this lost tradition that was at the core of musicianship pedagogy training for more than two centuries. Join Mortensen in this course on Giovanni Furno's Partimento No. 1 in G major, in which he demonstrates the core concepts and skills required to recognize the bass line's harmonies, realize them at the keyboard, and stylize them into interesting pieces of music.
Partimento No. 1 – Recognize
The first step to improvising using a partimento bass line is to recognize the possible harmonies signaled by the given scale degrees. Join concert pianist and historical improviser John Mortensen as he walks you through Giovanni Furno's Partimento No. 1 in G major to practice recognizing both standard harmonizations and exceptions based on the Rule of the Octave.
Partimento No. 1 – Realize
The next step toward improvising on a partimento is to realize the harmonies implied by the given bass line. Join concert pianist and historical improviser John Mortensen as he walks you through Giovanni Furno's Partimento No. 1 in G major to practice realizing chords above the bass, drawing on your knowledge of the Rule of the Octave.
Partimento No. 1 – Stylize (Figuration Prelude)
Now that you've understood the harmonies implied by a partimento bass line and realized them in generic block chords, you may now stylize it. There are countless 18th-century styles that are suitable candidates for Furno's Partimento No. 1, and John Mortensen introduces you to the process of stylization with one of the most familiar and accessible genres of the Baroque period – the figuration prelude.
Partimento No. 1 – Stylize (Diminution)
Join John Mortensen as he introduces you to the art of diminution – a stylization device that involves decorating a chordal realization with rhythmic filigree. Mortensen demonstrates two types of diminution as useful tools for decorating your own improvisations of Furno's Partimento No. 1 – dotted-diminution and non-chord tones.
Partimento No. 1 – Stylize (Fantasia)
Join John Mortensen as he introduces you to the weird and wonderful world of the unmeasured fantasia – a stylization device and improvisatory genre that draws heavily on free arpeggiation. Mortensen demonstrates how to arpeggiate Furno's Partimento No. 1, and apply voicing and timing to create special effects.
Partimento No. 1 – Demonstrations
John Mortensen walks through the realization of Furno's Partimento No. 1, followed by four stylizations: figuration prelude, dotted-diminution, non-chord tone diminution, and unmeasured fantasia.
Mortensen: Composition in G major, on Furno's Partimento No. 1
John Mortensen performs an original composition based on Furno's Partimento No. 1 to demonstrate a model partimento improvisation.
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Unlock Course →As a leader in the international revival of historic improvisation, John Mortensen is noted for his ability to improvise entire concerts in historic styles, including complex compositions such as Baroque fugues.
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