A CLOSE-UP
The nucleus of Bach’s fifth French Suite, in G major, consists of the Frobergerian core of allemande, courante, sarabande, and gigue, augmented by a trio of slighter dances (a gavotte, a bourée, and a loure) interpolated before the gigue. Bach himself used the term Galanterien (from the French galanteries) on the title page of the Clavier-Übung to classify these interpolated dances and distinguish them from the core, describing his suites (or partitas) as consisting of “Präludien, Allemanden, Couranten, Sarabanden, Giguen, Menuetten, und anderen Galanterien.” Note that the obligatory or core dances are listed (after the preludes) in order, while the variable category of “minuets and other galanteries” is mentioned casually, out of order, as if an afterthought. This contrast in manner is very telling.
- Citation (MLA):
- Richard Taruskin. "Chapter 6 Class of 1685 (I)." The Oxford History of Western Music. Oxford University Press. New York, USA. n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2023. <https://www.oxfordwesternmusic.com/view/Volume2/actrade-9780195384826-div1-06006.xml>.
- Citation (APA):
- Taruskin, R. (n.d.). Chapter 6 Class of 1685 (I). In Oxford University Press, Music In The Seventeenth And Eighteenth Centuries. New York, USA. Retrieved 6 Dec. 2023, from https://www.oxfordwesternmusic.com/view/Volume2/actrade-9780195384826-div1-06006.xml
- Citation (Chicago):
- Richard Taruskin. "Chapter 6 Class of 1685 (I)." In Music In The Seventeenth And Eighteenth Centuries, Oxford University Press. (New York, USA, n.d.). Retrieved 6 Dec. 2023, from https://www.oxfordwesternmusic.com/view/Volume2/actrade-9780195384826-div1-06006.xml
