Music for Dance

The Baroque Suite 1600 – 1750

The suite was a work based on a set of contrasting dances. These were grouped together by being in the same key
although sometimes this may have been the tonic minor as well as major.

There are famous suites for orchestra though some were also written for solo instruments such as the harpsichord.

Gavotte: fairly fast dance in simple duple (2 beats to a bar – 2/2 ) metre. Piece usually starts on the on the second
half of a bar. Contain melodic sequences and are based on simple rhythmic patterns with little or no
syncopation. Listen to Bach’s Gavotte for orchestra. Listen out for the harpsichord playing chords and
filling out the harmonies. Listen also for the contrast in phrases. Firstly full orchestra with brass
followed by a quieter phrase with just strings, woodwind and continuo. Also use of ornamentation
such as a trill at the end of second phrase. This example is in a major key.

Sarabande: Slow and serious dance in simple triple metre (3 beats to a bar – 3/4 ). In all sarabandes the slow
Tempo created many chances for ornaments to decorate the melody. Listen to the Sarabande example
For flute, strings and continuo. Listen out for the canon between the treble and bass parts (texture is
is therefore polyphonic. This example is in a minor key. Again listen for the harpsichord
outlining the harmonies with chords.

Gigue: Fast dance in compound metre (often 6/8 time). Could be related to jig dance found in British and Irish
Folk music. Listen to the example. Again you will hear the larger section of the orchestra on the first phrase
being answered by the strings and woodwind. This type of contrast was very common in Baroque music.
This piece is in a major key. Listen for the fast 6/8 phrases. The timpani roll at the beginning is prominent.
Again notice use of harpishord.

Bourree: Like a gavotte in simple duple metre and at a fairly fast tempo. A gavotte starts on the second half of a
Bar where as a bourree starts on the last beat of a bar.

Minuet: Elegant dance in simple triple (3 beats to a bar – 3/4). It is at a moderate tempo. It is normally in binary
form. Has clear cadences at the end of each section. Makes use of sequences. Listen to the example.
There are 2 minuets, the first is in D major and second is in D minor. There is a repeat back to the first
Minuet so this could be described as Ternary form. Again listen out for the use of timapani and
ornamentation. Once again this piece is for orchestra. Listen out for sound of oboe. Particularly
prominent in the repeat of the first long phrase. Also listen out for lower bassoon in this phrase too.

19th Century Dances (1800s)

Waltz: In simple triple time like a minuet. Emphasis is on melody. With accompaniment very supportive.
Prominent Waltz composer of this era was Strauss. Most famous piece being Blue Danube. First listen to
‘Un Bal’ by Berlioz. This is in a major key. Listen for the harp arpeggios and descending scales. After the
passage listen for the typical um – cha – cha accompaniment provided by the strings. This piece is for full
orchestra and the texture is homophonic. Also in the opening few bars listen out for the tremolo strings.
This waltz section is from a larger work called a symphony.

Chopin was another famous dance composer. Listen to his Valse, op.34 for piano. The melody is initially in
left hand with the typical um – cha – cha in the right. Listen for the trill early on in the left hand. The
melody swaps to the right hand and is more elaborate and chromatic this time mordents are used to
decorate the melody. Again the texture is homophonic.
 Chopin also wrote Mazurkas. Mazurkas have accents on the second beat and use rhythms.

Polka: Energetic dance in duple time. Rhythm is often 3 quavers followed by a quaver rest. Listen to
‘Pizzicato Polka’. In a major key for stringed instruments of the orchestra. All the notes are plucked
as the word pizzicato means – to pluck (not to bow).

Dances of the Americas (Latin American)

Salsa: Dance style from Caribbean island of Cuba. Based around a clave pattern which repeated throughout the
dance. Many Salsa musicians were influenced by jazz, hence jazz instruments and performance styles were
often incorporated. In the salsa example listening out for the off beat (syncopated) introduction on the
trumpets, the syncopated piano parts which is played in octaves. The percussion comprised of drum kit,
timbales, congas and a guiro. The bass guitar also plays a syncopated part based around the chord notes.
Also in the brass section is a tenor saxophone. Repeated brass patterns could be known as riffs.

Samba: Samba originates from Brazil. Usually in 2/4 or 4/4 metre. Large samba bands include saxophones,
trumpets and keyboards. Also may use call and response vocals. Often in a major key. Main pulse is
played on a large drum called a surdo. Listen to Samba example. Starts with syncopated acoustic guitar
part using a combintion of chord and melodic ideas. Over this vocalist is scat singing. Guitar can often
play a large part in Samba. Later full band enters with full latin percussion section.

Tango: Dance from Argentina ion 2/4 or 4/4 metre. Once again is based on a specific repeated rhythm in the
piece. An example of this syncopated rhythm is shown in the tango example played on the strings in the
form of a bass part. The melody is played on a bandoneon which is a form of an accordion type
instrument.

The Dance and Club Dance Scene

Disco: Developed during the 1970s. Disco pieces comprised of a strongly emphasised beat at a steady tempo, clear
cut rhythms maintained throughout song, simple verse – chorus structure and a memorable melody. Listen
to Night Fever. Listen for characteristic Wah Wah guitar. Also further guitar part playing a riff. Strings fill
out the harmonies and there is a syncopated bass part. Vocals are sung in falsetto. To make vocals catchy
these are also syncopated. Piece is in a minor key.

There are many different types of club dance music most of which were handed to you in Year 10 on an
Information sheet. The main ones are Rap, Hip Hop, House, Techno, Jungle, Drum ‘n’ Bass, Garage and
Trance.

Listen to The Saint arranged by the techno band Orbital. Starts with flute and vibraphone sound for melody
In unison. Then bass and percussion riff twice. Drum machine is used for percussion on a drum loop. Piece
Also has brass stabs. All electronically produced sounds set against heavy percussive bakground.

Now listen to ‘1969’. No sense of verse/chorus structure. More a collage of sounds over a set of chords,
Drums and bass. 4 chords at beginning in ‘Ghostly’ sound are repeated over and over creating a riff. These
are all minor chords. Later ‘Whirly Flute’ and vocoder are looped. These are also samples. There are two
percussion patterns which have both been looped.
 Music for Dance Key Words

Keyword Meaning
Sequence Immediate repetition of a phrase of melody by the same instrument at a different
pitch.
Syncopation Making stronger / louder the off beats or weak beats.
Continuo A bass part played on one or more instruments together with chords played on a
harmony instrument – often the harpsichord. This accompaniment would be
continuous throughout the piece.
Ornamentation Decorative notes to elaborate the melody. Like trills and mordents.
Trill Fast and long alternation between two notes.
Mordent Fast and short alternation between two notes.
Canon A Composition device in which a melody in one part is repeated later note for note
in another part while the melody of the first part contiues.
Polyphonic Weaving parts or melodies, crossing between each other and moving independently.
Timpani Roll Most important orchestral percussion instruments – large drums producing notes of
definite pitch. Roll – rapidly hitting drums for a time to sustain sound.
Cadences Last two chords at end of a section of music – Perfect, Plagal, Imperfect and
Interrupted.
Ternary Piece in A B A form.
Arpeggio Broken chord.
Homophonic Texture where melody is supported by chords.
Tremolo Rapid repeating of a single note performed on strings, guitar, steel pans etc.
Chromatic Using notes outside the scale e.g. using D# and G# when composing in C Major.
Clave Rhythmic pattern used in salsa played on wooden sticks called claves.
Riff Melodic or chord pattern which is repeated.
Call and Response Soloist sings a phrase to which larger group responds with an answering phrase.
Scat Singing Using improvised sounds when singing a melody rather than actual words.
Accordion Small portable reed organ with bellows to produce the sound.
Wah Wah Effects pedal for guitar which controls upper harmonics of notes played. Creates
vocal – like ‘wah’ sound.
Falsetto Singing outside your range. Very high notes for a male singer.
Vocoder Speech synthesiser. Gives metallic sound or ‘other-worldly’ effect to voice.
Loop A four bar section that fits rhythmically and harmonically with other sections. This
means any combination of loops are possible.
Sample Fragment of music which is recorded and used in its original form or modified to
create new sounds.