In which period did the use of figured bass notation become prominent?

Figured bass notation became prominent during the Baroque period, which spanned roughly from 1600 to 1750. This music notation system provided a shorthand for keyboard players and continuo players, allowing them to understand which chords to play and how to embellish them. The figured bass system included numbers and symbols written below the bass line, indicating intervals and harmonies relative to the bass note, facilitating greater creativity and improvisation in performance.

The Baroque era was characterized by an emphasis on harmony, counterpoint, and the development of instrumental music, all of which underscored the utility of figured bass. This method of notation aligned well with the expressive, elaborate, and often ornamented style of Baroque music. In this context, composers such as J.S. Bach and Handel utilized it extensively to provide a foundation for their compositions, allowing for a rich harmonic texture that would define the music of the time.

In contrast, the Renaissance period primarily focused on vocal polyphony and did not use figured bass notation in the same way. During the Classical and Romantic periods that followed, while figured bass was still present, it was not as central to musical practice as it was in the Baroque, when it reached its peak usage and significance in the