Definition
The Baroque suite is a collection of stylized dances in the same key (with possible dances in the parallel mode), intended for listening rather than dancing. The standard core, established in Germany in the second half of the seventeenth century (Froberger), is allemande – courante – sarabande – gigue; between the sarabande and the gigue, optional dances called galanteries are inserted (minuets, bourrée, gavotte, passepied, aria, loure, polonaise), and often an opening prelude. Almost all the dances are in binary form with repeats (||: I → V :||: V → I :||; in the minor i → III).
The dances
| Dance | Origin | Meter and tempo | Typical traits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allemande | German, stylized in France | 4/4 (C), moderate | short upbeat (one sixteenth note or three), continuous flow of sixteenth notes, “brisé” texture |
| French courante | France | 3/2 or 6/4, moderate and noble | hemiola: oscillation between 3/2 and 6/4, especially at cadences |
| Italian corrente | Italy | 3/4 or 3/8, fast | perpetual motion of eighth or sixteenth notes |
| Sarabande | Spain/Latin America, later slow in France | 3/2 or 3/4, slow | accent on the second beat (often a long or dotted note on 2), solemn character, ornaments; sometimes with a double (ornamented variation) |
| Gigue | England/Ireland (jig) | 6/8, 12/8, 3/8 (sometimes dotted 4/4), fast | often fugal: the second part begins with the subject in inversion |
| Minuet | France | 3/4, moderate | often in pairs (Minuet I – II – I) |
| Bourrée | France | 2/2 (cut time), lively | one-quarter-note upbeat |
| Gavotte | France | 2/2, moderate | two-quarter-note upbeat (begins in the middle of the bar) |
| Passepied | Brittany | 3/8 or 6/8, fast | fast minuet |
| Loure | Normandy | 6/4, slow | dotted rhythms, “slow gigue” |
| Aria | — | varies | cantabile non-dance piece |
Bach's collections
- French Suites BWV 812–817 (without prelude).
- English Suites BWV 806–811 (each with a large prelude).
- Partitas BWV 825–830 (Clavier-Übung I, 1726–1731), with opening movements of different forms (Praeludium, Sinfonia, Fantasia, Ouverture, Preambulum, Toccata).
- Suites for solo cello BWV 1007–1012: prelude + allemande, courante, sarabande, two galanteries (minuets, bourrée or gavotte), gigue.
- Orchestral Suites (Ouvertures) BWV 1066–1069: they begin with a French overture (slow dotted – fast fugal – slow return); in No. 3 in D major is found the famous Air (“Air on the G String”).
- Handel: Water Music (1717), Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749).
Quick analysis example: a sarabande in D minor
- 16 bars, 3/4, ||: 8 bars i → III (F major) :||: 8 bars III → iv → i :||.
- Recurring rhythm: the quarter note + half note cell, with the long (accented) note on the second beat.
- Cadences: at bar 8 in F major (III), at bar 16 in D minor with an optional Picardy third.
- Ornaments: cadential trills, appoggiaturas on the second beat.
Why it matters to a producer
Baroque dances are codified grooves: each has a meter, an upbeat and a typical accent, exactly like modern genres (the second beat of the sarabande works like the displaced accent of reggae; the hemiola of the courante is the same one heard in much Latin music). Composing a mini-suite of four dances in the same key is an excellent exercise in rhythmic variety with harmonic unity: a basis for an instrumental EP or for a Baroque-style video game soundtrack.
Related
Binary, ternary and AABA form, Minuet and trio, Polyrhythm, hemiola and polymeter, Fugue, Prelude, Concerto grosso.