1.9 (above average)
Sunday 21 February 2010
Tune of the Day: Gavotte
from French Suite No. 5 in G major by J.S. Bach
This lighthearted gavotte is part of French Suite No. 5 in G major for harpsichord, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1722–1723.
Each of the six French Suites contains the four dance movements that Bach made standard for the genre: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Gigue. In Suite No. 5 Bach inserts three movements between the Sarabande and Gigue. The first of these is the famous Gavotte, a sprightly, French ballroom dance in 2/2 meter with a modulation to the dominant key of D major at the end of the first half.