Ostinato
A short figure repeated unchanged, forming a background or a driving force
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An ostinato is a short figure — a few notes, a rhythmic pattern, or both — repeated unchanged at the same pitch level through a passage. It may sit in the bass (a ground bass), an inner voice or the top, and it may be melodic, harmonic or purely rhythmic. The bass of Pachelbel's Canon, the rhythmic pattern of Ravel's Boléro and the looping bass of a pop song are all ostinatos. Their power comes from repetition: the ear grasps the figure quickly and then attends to what changes above it.
An ostinato differs from a theme. A theme is a complete statement meant to be developed and answered; an ostinato is deliberately not developed, so that something else can change over it. It can be a background (the bass of a chaconne or passacaglia), a driving force (a rock drum pattern), or a structural frame (a whole piece organised around one loop). The shorter and more stable the ostinato, the more clearly the freedom of the upper parts can be heard.
The common misconception is to call any repeated melody an ostinato. An ostinato normally repeats unchanged and keeps its place; if each return is transposed, decorated or rhythmically altered, it is closer to variation or sequence. Another misconception is that ostinato belongs only to early music. From the Baroque to minimalism, rock and electronic dance music, it is one of the most common organising devices. To identify an ostinato, hear whether it keeps returning on the same layer, not merely whether something repeats.
Sources
- 固定音型的定义、类型与历史用法，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Ostinato"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.