A Baroque suite is a collection of musical dances performed in a group during the Baroque period, which lasted roughly from 1600 to 1750 in Europe. The suite was usually composed of four pieces, but any number of dances could be used. All of the pieces were written to be performed in the same key. The suites were all about creating instrumental music that was purely for listening enjoyment rather than dancing, and had a strong folk element.
Four different dance pieces were used in the majority of Baroque suite music. The allemande, courante, sarabande, and gigue were all part of the classical form, which originated in France. The gavotte, minuet, and passepied are three optional dances that could be used in the Baroque suite. The chaconne, passacaglia, and bourree dances are also occasionally performed.
The dances tended to have an upbeat tempo, which is reflected in their names. The courante dance, for example, literally translates to “running.” The Baroque suite consisted entirely of instrumental music performed by chamber ensembles. Because the harpsichord became widely available during the Baroque period, many of the suites were written for the piano and other keyboard instruments. With or without soloists, the music was intended to be performed.
The main unifying feature of the suite was that all of the music was written in the same key. As long as this rule was followed, the tempo, meter, and type of dance could all be changed. Typically, the dances were composed in binary form. While the key signatures in the pieces varied, they all started and ended in the same key.
One distinguishing feature of this type of suite was a shift in emphasis away from creating and performing dance music. Instead, the dance music in the suite was meant to be enjoyed by the audience. The new dance music retained the character of the original dances as a result of the shift in focus, but composers considered the pieces to be more sophisticated and refined than earlier works.
The incorporation of folk or common elements into art and music was one of the unique features of Baroque period music. The Baroque suite is an excellent example in this case. Though the suite style is more organized, the music has roots in folk or dance music.
The Water Music Suites by George Frideric Handel, which are still played by modern musicians, are among the most well-known Baroque suites. He included a variety of dances in the suites he created. The suites are said to have been written so that the dances could be performed in any order.