MUSICAL FORMS OF DANCE MOVEMENTS

Courante, court dance popular about 1600 to 1800; its music, in a stylized form, usually was the second movement of the baroque suite. The courante was danced by couples using small springing or, later, gliding steps. The musical form had two types: The Italian corrente was in fast triple meter, with quick running figures in a texture of accompanied melody; the slower French courante was contrapuntal in style, with shifts between 3/2 and 1/4 meter.

Gavotte, French dance in which pairs of dancers form a circle and dance to music in moderately fast time. The dance originated among the peasants, known as Gavots, of the Pays de Gap region of the former French province of Dauphiné. It became popular at the French court in the 17th century and remained in vogue until the French Revolution began in 1789. Stylized gavotte music was often used as one of the movements of the instrumental suite.

Forlane, Forlana, Furlana, a dance from northern Italy (Fruili). In dance collections of the 16th century it is similar to the passamezzo (in duple meter), whereas in the baroque period it is a gay dance in triple meter (6/4, 6/8) with dotted rhythms and characteristic repeats and motifs.

Minuet, Menuet, (French menu,”small”), dance in µ meter that was introduced during the 17th century at the court of Louis XIV of France, and achieved its greatest popularity during the 18th century. Probably of peasant origin, the minuet was apparently brought into court society by the king's composer Jean Baptiste Lully. The rhythmic grace of the minuet was quickly accepted throughout Europe and was employed by all the major composers of the 17th and early 18th centuries in their instrumental music, particularly in the suite.

Bourrée, a French 17th-century dance, probably from Auvergne, usually in a quick duple meter with a single upbeat. Lully used it in his ballets, and operas, whence it was transferred to the suites of the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Passepied, a gay, spirited dance in rather quick 3/8 or 6/8 meter that was very popular at the French court under Louis XIV and Louis XV. It is said to have come from Brittan.

Rondeau, (French, “rondo”), one of several fixed forms in French poetry and song, popular from the 13th to the 16th century. Possibly originating as sung accompaniment for a round dance with a chorus of singers and a soloist, early rondeaux were written by such French poet-composers as Guillaume de Machaut. The early form had eight lines, of which the first two formed a refrain repeated in the middle and at the end of the poem; only two rhymes were used.

Sarabande, a dance and a musical form, both in meter. Originally a sung dance popular in Latin America and Spain (banned in 1583 for its suggestive movements), it became a slow processional dance by the time it reached the French court in the 17th century. As a stylized musical form, the sarabande was a slow piece in France and Germany and faster in Italy, Spain, and England. The sarabande is typically the third movement of the baroque suite.

Polonaise, a courtly processional dance for couples arranged in line by rank. It is the national dance of Poland, known since at least 1645. The step is slow and gliding, and the dance has several figures, including the exchange of partners. The music is usually in stately µ time. As concert music, polonaises have been composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Frédéric Chopin.

Badinage, badinerie, a dancelike piece of jocose character that sometimes occurs as a movement in the optional group in 18th-century suites.

Air, French 17th^- and 18th^-century term for song in general. In suites written about and after 1700, a movement found in the optional group, of a melodic rather than dancelike character.

Gigue, the jig was adopted in France at the court of Louis XIV, where, as the gigue, it became a more subdued dance for couples. In the baroque suite by composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, the gigue is the final movement. Jig also refers to any country dance tune in jig time and to any set dance (a country dance for a group of couples) to a jig tune.

Réjouissance, a French word meaning ‘rejoicing’ or ‘merrymaking.’ A movement of a lively and joyous character, generally in binary form, sometimes included in the Galanterien of the 18^th-century suite. Most réjouissances occur in suites in the French style for orchestra where the mood of rejoicing can be enhanced by brass and woodwind instruments.

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Bibliography

Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1978.

Michael Tilmouth. Réjouissance. The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians.

Ed. Stanley Sadie. London: MacMillan, Ltd., 1980. Vol. 15, p. 731.

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001.Microsoft Corporation, 1993-2000.