Origins of Gavotte Dance
The gavotte was originally a spirited dance of the peasant class, supposed to have its beginnings in the Dauphiné region of France, specifically from the Gavot people. In addition, there is another theory that the term gavot was applied to a range of folk dances in France, too. Alternatively, there are theories it is related to the French word gavache (meaning ''coward'' or ''wicked person'') or from Old Occitan (related to the Catalan language, also in the Romance family of languages) and means ''glutton'' or ''boorish''.
Regardless, the dance somehow moved into the courts of King Louis XIV and became popular as part of a suite of dances performed at court. As entertainment, an orchestra would provide the music for a set of specific dances called a suite. The gavotte is specifically made to be part of a suite of branles, or dances for couples and groups. It tended to follow the sarabande (a triple meter dance) in a branle suite. It was considered fairly simple to learn, making it a good choice regardless of the audience, as beginner dancers may have picked it up with ease.
It should be noted that the adoption of the gavotte into the court is notable in terms of a historical trend of this time period. The French elite was increasingly adopting many elements of the life of the peasantry as part of a romanticized idealization of this way of life, which highlighted their lack of understanding of the true hardships faced by the peasantry. It was only about one hundred years after this dance's popularity in the courts that the French Revolution began as the peasantry became increasingly dissatisfied with their lives and the way they were treated by the French royalty and elites.
Gavotte Composition History: When Was Gavotte Composed?
Despite its peasant origins as a dance, the gavotte gained popularity in the court of King Louis XIV of France. As a result, many composers produced works suitable for the dance. French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, who worked in the court of King Louis XIV from 1653 until his death, composed many works for dances in general, including for the gavotte. Jean-Philippe Rameau, who succeeded Lully's role as the most influential composer of French operatic works, also produced many works in the gavotte form. The famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach also included gavottes in his works.
The basic rhythm of a gavotte composition.
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The gavotte, musically, can be of any tempo, though a moderate tempo was favored. It was notated most often in 2/2 or 4/4 time, though it was also sometimes in 5/8 or 9/8 time. Initially, it was also composed so that the music began on a half-measure upbeat. A measure is simply one unit of time with a certain number of beats in each measure. The top number in a time signature — such as the 3 in a 3/4 — signals the number of beats in each measure. The lower number indicates what kind of note will be given one beat. So, a 4/4 gavotte would begin with a measure containing only two notes.
It also has a homophonic texture, meaning that a primary part of the music is paired with another element accompanying it. In contrast, there are monophonic textures that are performed in unison and polyphonic textures which contain multiple independent melodies. Homophonic textures were popular in this era of art music.
The instruments typically used to perform the gavotte works included drums, violins, shawms (precursor to the oboe), and sometimes vocals and other woodwind and stringed instruments.
It is important to note that there is a 19th-century column dance, also called the gavotte, which is unrelated to this style of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.
Lesson Summary
The gavotte is a form of dance, as well as a form of music designed for the dance. It was popularized as part of suites of branles (dances for couples and groups) in the court of King Louis XIV of France in the Baroque era (c. 1600-1750) of Western art music. It is alleged to have been a form of folk dance from the Dauphiné region of France. This would support the historical trend seen in the French elite and royalty of the time: it was fashionable to adopt characteristics of the peasant classes but with an exaggerated artificiality that only reflected the vast differences between the elites and the peasants.
The gavotte, musically, was often notated in 2/2 or 4/4 time but could also be seen in 5/8 or 9/8 time; the tempo could vary, but a moderate tempo was most common. Gavottes were written by a number of composers, most notably Jean-Baptiste Lully, Jean-Philippe Rameau, and Johann Sebastian Bach. Lully's compositions would have been played in the court of Louis XIV, where the dance gained popularity.
