Baroque Dance Types and Meter Characteristics

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing Baroque dance forms, their meters, upbeat patterns, and distinguishing characteristics as presented in the lecture notes.

Allemande

Moderate Baroque dance in 2/2 or 4/4; begins with a one-note upbeat and often features a continuous flow of sixteenth notes.

Gavotte

Bright dance in 2/2 or 4/4; each phrase starts halfway through the bar with two quarter-note upbeats (half-bar pickup).

Bourrée

Lively dance in 2/4, 2/2, or 4/4; opens with a quarter-note or two eighth-note upbeat.

Rigaudon

Rustic, energetic dance in 2/2 or 4/4 that starts with a single quarter-note upbeat.

Sarabande

Slow, stately triple-meter dance (3/2 or 3/4) characterized by an accented second beat.

French Courante

Triple-meter dance (3/2 or 6/4) that frequently shifts between triple and duple subdivision, giving it a running feel.

Minuet

Elegant court dance in 3/4 at a moderate tempo; typically begins on the downbeat with no pickup.

Passepied

Fast, light triple-meter dance, sometimes with a one-note upbeat; livelier than a minuet.

Italian Corrente

Rapid 3/4 dance with flowing motion; the Italian counterpart of the French Courante.

Gigue

Very quick dance, often in compound meter (6/8) or simple triple filled with triplets; frequently uses fugal or imitative textures.

March

Strong, regular piece in 4/4 simple quadruple time, occasionally starting with a quarter-note upbeat.

Polonaise

Stately Polish dance in simple quadruple (4/4) with no upbeat and characteristic dotted rhythms.

Siciliano

Pastoral dance or movement in 6/8 or 12/8, usually in a minor key with gentle lilting dotted rhythms.