Slightly related is the question "How many different notes do you need in the bass to harmonise any melody?", and the answer was provided by Obrecht in the fina

Slightly related is the question "How many different notes do you need in the bass to harmonise any melody?", and the answer was provided by Obrecht in the final section of his Missa Malheur me bat[1] dating from around 1497. The original tune is here[2]. While the section was probably written partly as a joke, it's interesting how you really only need the 1st and 5th scale degrees to cover the majority of the song tune. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLyfr_dQTBc&t=293s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLyfr_dQTBc&t=293s [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrZKnEXKwn0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrZKnEXKwn0