The passamezzo (plural: passamezzi or passamezzos) is an Italian folk dance from the 16th and early 17th centuries. Many songs named “passamezzo” use one of two musical patterns that were later called passamezzo antico and passamezzo moderno. These patterns were repeated many times one after another during the dance.
The galliard (/ˈɡæljərd/; French: gaillarde; Italian: gagliarda) was a type of dance and music that was popular throughout Europe during the 16th century. It is written about in dance books from England, Portugal, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy.
The pavane ( / p ə ˈ v ɑː n , p ə ˈ v æ n / pə- VA(H)N ; Italian: pavana, padovana; German: Paduana) is a slow, formal dance that was popular in Europe during the 16th century, which is part of the Renaissance period. The pavane is a calm and respectful dance for couples, similar to the 15th-century basse danse. The earliest known music for the pavane was published in Venice by Ottaviano Petrucci in Joan Ambrosio Dalza’s Intabolatura de lauto libro quarto in 1508.
A branle (pronounced BRAN-uhl or BRAHL) is a type of French dance that has been popular since the early 1500s and is still popular today. It is danced by couples in a line or a circle. The term “branle” also refers to the music and the special way people move their feet during the dance.
The bourrée ( / b ʊ ˈ r eɪ / ; Occitan : borrèia ; also in England, borry or bore ) is a dance from France and includes the words and music that go with it. The bourrée is similar to the gavotte because both are played twice as fast and often have a specific rhythmic pattern. However, the bourrée is slightly faster, and its musical phrase begins with a short introductory note called a quarter-bar anacrusis, while the gavotte starts with a half-bar anacrusis.
The gigue (pronounced ZHEEG) or giga (pronounced ZHEE-ga) is a lively Baroque dance that came from the English jig. It was brought to France in the middle of the 17th century and often appears at the end of a suite, which is a group of dances. The gigue was not a dance performed in royal courts, but nobles danced it during social events.
The sarabande is a type of dance that has three beats per measure, or the music that is written for this dance. It originated from the Spanish word “zarabanda.”
The courante, corrente, coranto, and corant are names used for a type of dance with a triple meter that was popular during the late Renaissance and Baroque periods. In a Baroque dance suite, an Italian or French courante is usually placed after an allemande, making it the second movement of the suite. If a prelude is included, the courante becomes the third movement.
An allemande (pronounced “al-mahn”) is a dance from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was a common type of instrumental dance during the Baroque era, with examples created by composers like Couperin, Purcell, Bach, and Handel. It was often the first movement in a Baroque suite of dances, followed by a courante.
The gavotte (also spelled gavot, gavote, or gavotta) is a French dance named after the Gavot people from the Pays de Gap region in Dauphiné, southeast France, where the dance began, according to one source. Another reference says the word “gavotte” refers to a group of French folk dances and may have started in Lower Brittany in western France, or in Provence in the southeast or the French Basque Country in the southwest. The gavotte is written in 4/4 or 2/2 time and usually has a medium speed, though some folk versions use 8/8 time.