Passacaglia by James River Music LLC published on 2019-04-23T15:58:36Z By Gary Fagan A passacaglia is a baroque music form in moderately slow triple meter consisting of a continuous variation based on a well-defined melodic phrase usually appearing in the bass line. This form of music is sometimes also referred to as a chaconne although it is not clear, even among scholars today, what characteristics distinguish these two forms of music. This form of composition became almost obsolete after 1750 when the Classical Period began.