Lesson 51: A Complete Baroque Dance Movement
- Play Handel’s complete Gavotti at a steady dance tempo.
- Practise difficult passages as short, repeatable chunks.
A dance needs a dependable pulse.
This gavotte has three sections, or strains; count two half-note beats and lead each upbeat into beat one.
Before the full dance
Try the practice chunks below, then join each strain.
Play: Handel, HWV 365 — Gavotti
Soprano: G major; each strain’s repeat is written out; numbering restarts on each card.
Alto: Handel’s C major; each strain’s repeat is written out; numbering restarts on each card.
Source: Sothmann’s 2008 Mutopia 1396, after Chrysander 1879, CC BY-SA 3.0; continuo omitted; target: half note = 72–80.
Practice plan
- Map
- Read slowly; choose two bars that need work.
- Isolate
- Play them correctly twice; add their neighbours.
- Join
- Join strains; repeats are written out.
Practice chunks
Now play these
- Martini/Hermann: Gavotte opening period
- Apply the plan to this complete opening period.
- Playford: All in a Garden Green
- Build the dance in strains.
- Handel: HWV 369 — Larghetto
- Apply the plan to a slow movement.
When the full Gavotti flows at half note = 72 and a listener can tap its pulse, continue to Lesson 52.