A court dance of the 16th and 17th centuries, probably Italian in origin. It was similar choreographically to the 15th-century bassadanza, sedate and normally in duple metre. In 16th-century sources it is frequently the first dance in a group, followed by one or more after-dances in fast triple metre, often based on the same melodic or harmonic material. In Italy such after-dances are usually labelled Saltarello, but the most usual pairing in the late 16th century, particularly in northern Europe, was pavan and galliard. By that time the pavan was giving way to the Passamezzo in Italy, but it remained popular until c 1625 in England where examples for lute, keyboard and ensemble abound.
