Sarabande and Gavotte

The Sarabande was a popular dance of the Baroque period. They were played on strings and harpsichord, with occasionally oboes and flutes. Solo Sarabandes were sometimes played on the harpsichord.

Sarabandes were in binary form. They were slow, with 3 beats in the bar and usually a slight accent on the 2nd beat, like this:

The Gavotte was a stately dance of the Baroque period, with 4 beats in the bar played at a moderate tempo [Tempo: The speed that a piece of music is played. ].

Gavottes, like many other dances, were in binary form [Binary Form: A musical structure with two parts of approximately equal length, which are both typically repeated. ].

They were often played by strings (violins, violas, cellos and double basses) and sometimes also oboes, flutes and bassoons. Gavottes for solo instruments were usually for the harpsichord.