Baroque Dance Suite

Standard movements:
*Prelude
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
**minuet, Gavotte etc.
Gigue
* and ** are additional dance forms occasionally used in the suite.
Allemande
Origin and Meaning:

German, become popular in France and England / meaning “German” in French

Time:

Quadruple time ( 4/4, C)

Tempo

Moderate Tempo (not too fast or too slow)

Characteristics:

Start of a suite

Continuous semiquaver movement, often with dotted quaver notes

Usually begin with an anacrusis

Dignified
Courante(French)
Origin and Meaning:

France, ‘ running’

Time:

Simple triple time (3/2, 3/4 etc.) mixed with compound duple rhythms-6/4 in last bar

Tempo

‘A fluid and lively rhythm, so slightly fast

Characteristics:

Mainly consist of quaver or semiquaver movements

or Corrente (Italian)
Sarabande
Origin or Meaning:

Spain

Time:

Triple time, i.e.3/2, 3/4 etc.

Tempo

Slow and stately

Characteristics:

Without an anacrusis

A long notes or emphasis on the 2nd beat of the bar

Homophonic

Many ornaments
Gigue, or Jig
Origin and Meaning:
French ‘gigue’ or English ‘Jig’, small fiddle
Time:
Mostly in compound triple time.*occasionally in 3/8 or even 4/4 with dotted rhythm.
Tempo
Fast and energetic
Characteristics:
Start with a short anacrusis
Fast and energetic
Final dance of a suite.
Minute, or menuet/minuetto/menuetto

Origin or meaning:
France
Time:
3/4 time
Tempo:
Moderate tempo, not too fast or too slow
Characteristics:
● Almost always as a part of Baroque Dance suite (between sarabande and gigue)
● A popular court dance during King Louis XIV of France
● Gentle as to accompany a dance with small dainty steps