gigue

[ zheeg ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

gigue

/ ʒiːɡ /

a piece of music, usually in six-eight time and often fugal, incorporated into the classical suite
a formal couple dance of the 16th and 17th centuries, derived from the jig

Origin of gigue¹

1675–85; < French, probably < English jig ²

Origin of gigue¹

C17: from French, from Italian giga, literally: a fiddle; see gigot

It is in imitation of a national song, and is sometimes like a slow gigue, sometimes like a pastorale.

The sonata commenced in D minor; in the Gigue there was constant modulation towards G minor.

The last movement, still in the same key, is a gigue, thus keeping well in the shadow of the suite.

The last of the particularly characteristic dances is the Gigue with its counterparts mentioned above.

The adagio is a sarabande, and the last movement has the characteristics of the gigue.

April 25, 2024firkin

[fur-kin ]

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