The loure, also known as the
gigue lourée or gigue lente (slow gigue), is a French
Baroque dance, probably originating in
Normandy and named after the sound of the
instrument of the same name (a type of ''
musette''). It is of slow or moderate tempo, sometimes in simple triple meter but more often in compound duple meter. The weight is on the first beat, a characteristic emphasised by the preceding
anacrusis, which begins the traditional loure. Another feature is the lilting dotted rhythm.
In his ''Musicalisches Lexicon'' (Leipzig, 1732),
Johann Gottfried Walther wrote that the loure "is slow and ceremonious; the first note of each half-measure is dotted which should be well observed".
Examples of loures are found in the works of
Lully (e.g., ''
Alceste''),
Rameau (e.g.
Les Indes galantes) and of
Bach (e.g.:
''French Suite'' No. 5[N. B., however, that in the Bach-Gesellschaft edition of Bach, reprinted by Dover, the Loure is incorrectly called "Bourée II."] and the
Partita No. 3 for violin solo).
References
External links
Bach's Partita No. 3 in E major played by Hilary Hahn at youtube.com
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Baroque dance
Baroque music
Dance forms in classical music
French dances
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