The chordal continuo in French Baroque opera: revisiting the evidence

Abstract

Abstract The appearance some four decades ago of the author’s article ‘The role of the keyboard continuo in French opera 1673–1776’, Early Music, viii/2 (1980), sharply divided opinion. While many readers accepted the evidence that the chordal continuo instruments at the Paris Opéra customarily remained silent during most, if not all, of the dance movements (and, from the mid-1710s, the choruses), others proved sceptical or even hostile to the conclusions drawn. In revisiting the evidence, the present article focuses on the extent of the movements omitted from original continuo parts (around 50 per cent in some cases), and argues that the practice became more pronounced in the early 18th century. Noting that continuo playing was not traditionally associated with dance music in France, the article cites subsequent scholarly writings that draw attention to parallel practices in England and Germany, and reviews how far the findings of the 1980 article have been taken up by performers.