Topmusicanswers
What is the purpose of Alberti bass?
Alberti bass is a kind of broken chord or arpeggiated accompaniment, where the notes of the chord are presented in the order lowest, highest, middle, highest. This pattern is then repeated several times throughout the music. The broken chord pattern helps to create a smooth, sustained, flowing sound on the piano.
What is an Alberti bass figure?
: a repeated accompaniment figure (see figure entry 1 sense 15) common in 18th-century keyboard music that usually consists of the notes of a triad played in steady eighth or sixteenth notes in the order lowest-highest-middle-highest.
