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. Many composers who worked in royal courts wrote gigues. Like other Baroque dances, a gigue has two main parts.
A gigue is usually written in 8 time or a related time signature, such as 8, 4, 8, or 8. Some gigues, like the one from Johann Sebastian Bach’s first French Suite (BWV 812), use 2 time and have a unique rhythm with dotted notes.
Gigues often include multiple melodies played together and frequently emphasize the third beat in each measure. These features make the gigue a fast and energetic folk dance.
In early French theater, it was common to end a play with a gigue, which included both music and dancing.
Etymology
An early Italian dance known as the giga may have gotten its name from a small stringed instrument also called the giga. Historians, like Charles Read Baskerville, say that the word was used to describe dancing in England before it was used in Europe. The word giga likely has a different origin unrelated to the dance or instrument.
Pachelbel's Canon and Gigue
Pachelbel's Canon, composed by Johann Pachelbel, a German Baroque musician, was originally played with a gigue under the title Canon and Gigue for 3 violins and basso continuo. Both musical pieces are written in the key of D major.
The gigue is written in 8/8 time and has two equal parts, each containing 10 measures. Unlike the canon, the gigue does not repeat a bass line or follow a fixed sequence of chords. Instead, it uses fugal writing, where each section introduces a short melody that is then repeated in the other musical parts.
In popular culture
Jonathan Littell's 2006 novel, The Kindly Ones, is composed of different parts. Each part is named after a Baroque dance, with the final part called Gigue.