accompaniment

Music and players providing a bass line, chord structure, and beat to support a solo performer. For example, a singer or instrumentalist may be accompanied by a piano or orchestra.

The accompaniment may provide harmonic support (as in the continuo playing of the 17th and 18th centuries), melodic imitation and continuation of the solo part (as in many 19th-century songs), atmospheric background (as in orchestral accompaniments to operatic arias), and so on. The art of the piano accompanist was raised to a high level in the 20th century by figures such as English pianist Gerald Moore.

In piano music, accompaniment can also refer to the chords in the bass supporting the melody in the treble.