Although realizing a continuo is not questioned today when stipulated by a composer, the notion that such a realization is entirely free and not subject to guidelines remains widespread. Primary sources on keyboard continuo, however, clearly demonstrate that there were indeed grammatical and stylistic conventions and instructions for a continuo player. Despite meaningful research conducted over nearly a century to uncover the information embedded in these sources and to emphasize the importance of informed continuo playing, much of that output remains not only difficult to access but also incomplete and insufficiently or inadequately designed for pedagogical purposes.
This research project aims to address this thoroughly and dynamically by exhaustively studying and synthesizing continuo playing within the context of 18th-century German music —the most common early-music repertoire shared by historically and modern-oriented musicians. The primary output of this project will be the creation of an extensive series of digital articles featuring commentary, musical examples, practical applications and videos, which will be published on www.essaysonmusic.com. These publications aim to reformulate, synthesize, clarify, correct and structure the primary sources and secondary literature in a pedagogically sound manner, ultimately establishing a methodology for keyboard continuo playing.
Update: April 2025
