[Listening extract audio not available in printed QP. Skeleton score in Insert.] (a) What do the numbers beneath the bass notes tell the keyboard player? [1...

(a) The numbers beneath the bass notes tell the keyboard player which intervals above the bass note should be played, indicating which chords to add. [1]

This system is called figured bass. Each number represents an interval measured upward from the written bass note. For example, the figure "6" means the player should include the note a sixth above the bass (indicating a first-inversion triad). The figures "6/4" together indicate both a sixth and a fourth above the bass (a second-inversion triad). The figure "7" indicates a seventh chord. The keyboard player "realises" these figures by playing the appropriate chords, often adding passing notes and other embellishments at their discretion. This system allowed Baroque composers to write out only the bass line and figures, giving performers creative freedom in how they filled in the harmony.

(b) The correct answer is cello (also acceptable: bass viol, violone, double bass, bassoon). [1]

In a Baroque ensemble, the bass line is typically played by a bowed string instrument. The cello was the most common choice, providing a warm, sustained tone that anchored the harmony. Other bass instruments used include the bass viol (viola da gamba), the violone (a predecessor of the double bass), and occasionally the bassoon. The bass instrument plays the written bass line while the keyboard instrument realises the figured bass harmonies above it. Together, these instruments form the basso continuo.

(c) The correct answer is harpsichord (also acceptable: organ). [1]

The harpsichord is the most common keyboard instrument used to realise the harmonies indicated by figured bass in secular Baroque music. The player reads the figures beneath the bass notes and fills in the appropriate chords, creating a continuous harmonic accompaniment. In sacred music (church settings), the organ typically fulfilled this role instead. Both instruments could sustain chords and provide the harmonic foundation that supported the melodic instruments and voices above.