A translation on the section Concerning a Partimento that Rises by Semitone in Fedele Fenaroli’s Partimenti ossia basso numerato, Book III Naples (1775) Ed. Gjerdingen, with adaptions to the guitar.
Partimento that Rises by Semitone
The partimento can ascend by semitone in two distinct ways, depending on the mode in which it is written.
I. If the partimento is in the major mode (that is, a key with a major third above the tonic), the semitone ascent begins on ③, and may proceed by semitone up to the ⑥, inclusive of all intervening tones.
II. If the partimento is in the minor mode (a key with a minor third above the tonic), the semitone ascent begins on ⑤, and may continue by semitone up to ⑧, again including all intervening tones.
Note: This bass movement also goes under the name “chromatic monte”.
This concludes this short text on partimento that rises by semitone, as instructed by Fedele Fenaroli in his Partimenti ossia basso numerato. You can download this essay as a PDF for free.
Karl Michelson 