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. The music that accompanied the pavane was originally played at a fast or moderate speed. However, over time, like many other dances, the pavane’s music became slower.

Origin of term

The word "pavane" likely comes from the Italian phrase "danza padovana," which means "dance from Padua" (similar to "Bergamask," meaning "dance from Bergamo"). The word "pavan" was an old form of the modern Italian word "padovano," which means "from Padua." This origin matches the similar term "Paduana."

Another possible explanation is that "pavane" comes from the Spanish word "pavón," which means "peacock."

Although the dance is often linked to Spain, it was "almost certainly of Italian origin."

History

The graceful movement of the pavane matched the more serious and formal manners influenced by Spain in 16th-century Italy. It was found in dance manuals from England, France, and Italy.

The pavane was popular from about 1530 to 1676, though it was becoming less popular by the end of the 16th century. As a musical form, the pavane continued even after the dance was no longer performed, lasting into the Baroque period. Eventually, it was replaced by the allemande and courante sequence.

Music

• By the late 16th century, the pavan was typically played in a slow rhythm with two or four beats per measure. However, some sources suggest it was still performed quickly as late as the mid-16th century. Examples of pavans with three beats per measure also exist in Spain, Italy, and England.
• The pavan usually consists of two musical sections, each containing eight, twelve, or sixteen bars.
• The strongest beat in the rhythm is often the third beat, with a weaker emphasis on the first beat. However, some versions of the pavan place the strongest beat on the first beat instead.
• The pavan follows a musical structure of A–A′–B–B′–C–C′, where each section is repeated with slight changes.
• The music often features multiple melodies played together or a single melody supported by harmonies.
• A drum-like instrument called a tabor was frequently used to accompany the pavan, playing a rhythm pattern of long, short, short beats (2–4–4) or similar.
• The pavan was commonly performed alongside another dance called the Galliard.
• In group performances, the pavan typically avoids fast, flowing musical passages. However, when played by a single instrument, it often includes repeated sections with variations.

Dance

In Thoinot Arbeau's French dance manual, the dance is typically performed by many couples in a line, with dancers sometimes adding decorative steps (called divisions) to the basic movements.

The Dictionnaire de Trevoux describes the dance as a "serious type of dance borrowed from the Spaniards, where dancers form a kind of wheel or tail around each other, like the tail of a peacock, which is where the dance got its name." It was often performed by regents to begin grand ceremonies and to show off royal clothing. Before dancing, performers bowed to the King and Queen while walking around the room. The steps were called advancing and retreating. During retreating, gentlemen led their ladies by the hand, and after curtsies and steps, the gentlemen returned to their original positions. Next, a single gentleman stepped forward and moved in a proud, peacock-like manner (called en se pavanant) to greet the lady across from him. After taking backward steps, he returned to his place and bowed to his lady.

Modern use

The step used in the pavane is still used today in the hesitation step, which is sometimes seen at weddings.

More recent works with the title "pavane" often aim to create a style that feels old-fashioned. Examples include:

• Pavane (1887) by Gabriel Fauré, a modern version of a Renaissance-style dance.
• Tears and Pavan (1973) by The Strawbs
• Pavanne (sic) (1978) by Linda Thompson (singer)
• Pavan (2015) by Julian Bream
• Pavane pour une infante défunte (1899) by Maurice Ravel

• The third part of the Piano Suite No. 2 Op. 10 (1903) by George Enescu
• Pavane from Peter Warlock’s Capriol Suite (1926)
• De la Mare's Pavane from Herbert Howells’ Lambert's Clavichord (1927)
• The "Pavane of the Sons of the Morning" that ends scene 7 of Job: A Masque for Dancing, a ballet by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1930)
• Pavane, the Girl with the Flaxen Hair, a script by Wyllis Cooper for the radio series Quiet, Please (1947), inspired by Debussy’s music
• The Moor's Pavane (1949), a ballet choreographed by José Limón
• Pavane (1968), a science fiction novel by Keith Roberts about an alternate history where Queen Elizabeth I is killed and the Spanish Armada wins in 1588
• Pavan (1970) from the album Evensong by Amazing Blondel
• The first part of Maurice Ravel’s Ma mère l'oye suite (1910), called Pavane for the Sleeping Beauty, covered by Joe Walsh on his album So What (1974)
• The fourth movement of the suite The Fall of the House of Usher from Tales of Mystery and Imagination by The Alan Parsons Project (1976)
• Pavane by Jon Lord of Deep Purple, from his solo album Sarabande (1976)
• Pavanne (sic), a duet between Keith Tippett (organ) and Mark Charig (cornet), from their album Pipedream (1977)
• Pavane for a Dead Princess (1978), a jazz version of Maurice Ravel’s work by Art Farmer and Jim Hall, from the album Big Blues
• Pavane: She's So Fine (1994) from John's Book of Alleged Dances by John Adams
• A song titled Pavane from Verehrt und angespien (1999), an album by the band In Extremo
• Pavane (Thoughts of a Septuagenarian) (2000) by the Esbjörn Svensson Trio
• A song titled Pavane from Water Forest (2003), an album by Rurutia
• A Sad Pavan for These Distracted Times, part IX of Vladimír Godár’s Querela Pacis oratorio (2010). Thomas Tomkins composed a piece with the same title in 1649. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies also composed one in 2004. The phrase "distracted times" refers to the execution of British king Charles I.
• Eric Clapton released an acoustic demo song on his Facebook Page on September 30, 2014: Pavane for Jay A, as a tribute to skateboarder Jay Adams, who died on August 15, 2014.

General and cited references

• Apel, Willi (1988). The History of Keyboard Music to 1700. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-32795-4.
• Arbeau, Thoinot (1967). Orchesography, translated by Mary Stewart Evans, with a new introduction and notes by Julia Sutton and a new Labanotation section by Mireille Backer and Julia Sutton. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-21745-0.
• Brown, Alan (2001). "Pavan". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers.
• Horst, Louis (1937). Pre-Classic Dance Forms. A Dance Horizons Book. New York: Dance Observer. Reprinted, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Book Co., 1987. ISBN 9780916622510.
• Sachs, Curt (1937). World History of the Dance, translated by Bessie Schönberg. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.