7.1 The French overture and suite

French Baroque instrumental music was all about grandeur and elegance. The French overture, with its majestic slow intro and lively fugal section, set the tone for royal events and influenced composers across Europe.

French suites showcased a variety of dance movements, each with its own character. From the flowing allemande to the energetic gigue, these pieces reflected the refined tastes of French aristocracy and shaped instrumental music for generations.

French Baroque Instrumental Music

Characteristics of French overture

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• Slow introduction in duple meter features dotted rhythms conveying a majestic and noble character
  • Ascending arpeggios and descending scales create a sense of grandeur (Lully's "Overture to Armide")
• Fugal section follows in a faster tempo and duple meter
  • Employs imitative counterpoint with subject and answer entries modulating to related keys (Rameau's "Overture to Naïs")
• Slow concluding section returns to the original key and majestic character of the introduction
  • May include a short coda to provide a sense of closure (Handel's "Overture to Water Music")

Movements in French Baroque suite

• Allemande opens the suite in moderate tempo and duple meter
  • Continuous rhythmic motion with occasional short notes and imitative, contrapuntal texture (Bach's "French Suite No. 5")
• Courante follows in fast tempo and triple meter
  • Features running passages, hemiolas, and cross-rhythms creating rhythmic complexity (Couperin's "Courante from Pièces de clavecin")
• Sarabande provides contrast with a slow tempo in triple meter
  • Expressive and ornate melodic lines emphasize the second beat of each measure (Rameau's "Sarabande from Pièces de clavecin")
• Gigue concludes the suite in fast tempo and compound duple meter (6/8 or 12/8)
  • Lively and energetic character with imitative counterpoint and wide leaps (Bach's "Gigue from French Suite No. 3")
• Optional dance movements between Sarabande and Gigue offer variety in tempo, meter, and character
  • Minuet, Gavotte, Bourrée, Passepied, and others showcase diverse dance styles (Handel's "Minuet from Water Music")

French overture's orchestral influence

• Expanded the size and range of the orchestra to accommodate the grandiose style
  • String section became the foundation with wind and brass instruments adding color and contrast (Lully's "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme")
• Established a model for multi-movement instrumental works
  • Template for organizing contrasting movements influenced the development of sonata, symphony, and concerto (Bach's "Orchestral Suite No. 1")
• Popularized by composers such as Lully and Rameau, the French overture and suite spread throughout Europe
  • Widely disseminated and imitated, influencing composers like Bach, Handel, and Telemann who adapted the French style (Telemann's "Overture in D Major, TWV 55:D18")