Sheet Music: Courante

TitleCourante
from Cello Suite No. 3 in C major
Opus numberBWV 1009, Mvmt. 3
ComposerJohann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
InstrumentationFlute solo
KeyC major
RangeC4–E6
Time signature3/4
Tempo152 BPM
Performance time3:20
Difficulty levelintermediate
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (77 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (1.6 MB)
Date added2009-10-08
Last updated2018-11-25
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 1.2 (average)
Categories
Baroque, Courantes, Etudes

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Thursday 8 October 2009

Tune of the Day: Courante

from Cello Suite No. 3 in C major by J.S. Bach

Courante, corrente, coranto, corant: all these names refer to a family of triple meter dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era. While in the original sources spellings are often found to be inconsistent, Bach used both the different spellings courante and corrente to differentiate between the French and Italian styles, respectively.

Originally, the courante had the slowest tempo of all French court dances. While some writers of the time described the dance as “fast”, what they probably meant is that the notes moved quickly, and not that the tempo was rapid. But this was going to change. In fact, courante literally means “running”, and in the later Renaissance the courante was danced with moderately fast running and jumping steps.

Other Movements from the same Work

1.Prelude Flute solo
2.Allemande Flute solo
3.Courante Flute solo
4.Sarabande Flute solo
5.Bourrée I and II Flute solo
6.Gigue Flute solo