The Baroque Suite
Suite (17th/18th centuries)
 a collection of dances
 each dance is in binary form (AB)
 are played by orchestras or on a harpsichord
These are the dances you should remember: minuet
in ¾ performed at a medium tempo.
 Sarabande a slow triple time dance. The tune may be decorated with
trills, mordents, turns, etc.
 Gavotte
usually in 2/2 and is fairly fast. The piece begins on an
anacrusis meaning the piece begins half way through the
bar on the 3rd beat of the bar. The tune contains a lot of
sequences.
 Gigue
a quick dance in compound time (e.g. 6/8)
2/2
2/4
Gavotte Polka
Samba
Tango
3/4
Sarabande
Waltz
Minuet
4/4
6/8
Disco
Gigue
Club dance
Salsa
Samba
Tango
Ballroom Dances (19th century)
Waltz
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The centre was Vienna
In ¾
Oom-cha-cha accompaniment
Simple tunes
In binary form
Danced with a partner
Polkas
 In 2/4
 Began as a folk song
 Fast tempo
 Partners move quick-quick-slow
 Contains jerkier movements compared to the waltz
Club Dances
Disco music
 popular during the 1970’s.
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Rap
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in 4/4
120 beats per minute
Began in Jamaica in the 1960’s
Backing tracks created by remixing
Lyrics often about drugs, racism
Club Dance
It has many styles, such as: Techno
tempo between 130-150 beats per minute. No live sounds
 Jungle
about 170 beats per minute. Drum based with many fast
notes called ‘break beats’ which give a disjointed feel.
 Drum ‘n’ bass
fusion (mix) of club dance with jazz and funk
 Trance
repetitive
Many techniques are used such as mixing, scratching, sampling, looping,
sequencing and remixing.
Dances of the Americas
Salsa
The Spanish colonised Cuba and brought African slaves to work. Over many
years the two cultures combined to create a dance style called son. The main
features of son are: A repeated rhythm called a clave
 Syncopated rhythms
 Call and response between the solo and chorus
 Simple harmonies
Salsa is a combination of son and big band jazz, developed in the 1930’s. in
salsa you have: 3 sections – the verse, chorus and section between the verse and chorus
known as mambo. These 3 sections can be played more than once and
can appear in any order.
Samba
 It is a street carnival dance from Brasil
 In 2/4 or 4/4
 Major key
 Saxophones/keyboards/trumpets/percussion used
 The beat is played by surdo drums.
 Over this main beat there are syncopated rhythms played by instruments
such as the agogo bells.
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The music is led by a whistle, setting the tempo and signals call and
response sections
Tango
 Originates from Argentina
 Danced as a couple
 In 2/4 or 4/4
 Music played by violins, piano, double bass or accordion (known as
bandoneon)
17th/18th centuries 19th century
Minuet
Waltz
Sarabande
Polka
Gavotte
Gigue
20th century
Disco
Rap
Club dance
Tango
Samba
Salsa