pavane

The pavane, pavan, or pavana, is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century (Renaissance).

Origin of term

The origin of this term is not known. Possibilities include the word being from Pava, a dialect form of Padua (padovano); a descendant of the Sanskrit word meaning wind; or from the stately sweep of a lady's train likened to a peacock's tail.

History

The decorous sweep of the pavane suited the new more sober Spanish-influenced courtly manners of 16th century Italy, and the pavane may have originated in Spain. It appears in dance manuals in England, France, and Italy. The musical pavane survived hundreds of years after the dance itself was abandoned, especially in the form of the tombeau. At Louis XIV's court the pavane was superseded by the courante.

Music

• Slow double time
• Generally follows binary form - AA1, BB1, etc.
• It generally uses counterpoint or homophonic accompaniment.
• The rhythm (often accompanied by a side drum) was minim-crotchet-crotchet (1/2-1/4-1/4) or similar, and this was generally followed with little variation by the melody; there were rarely minims in the centre of the bar, for example.
• This form is generally paired with the Galliard

Dance

In Thoinot Arbeau's French dance manual, it is generally an improvised dance for one couple, with the dancers throwing in ornamentation (divisions) of the steps. In the English Measures manuscripts, the pavane is one of several similar dances classed as measures; danced by a line of couples, it is simple and choreographed. In Italian sources, the pavane is often a fairly complicated dance for one couple, with galliard and other sections.

Modern use

The step used in the pavane survives to the modern day in the hesitation step sometimes used in weddings.

More recent works titled "pavane" often have a deliberately archaic mood. Examples include:

• "Pavane: She's So Fine" (1994) from John's Book of Alleged Dances by John Coolidge Adams
• The classical composition Pavane (1887) by Gabriel Fauré. (This is a modern version of the Renaissance version.)
• The classical composition Pavane for a Dead Princess (1899) by Maurice Ravel
• The choreography The Moor’s Pavane (1949) by José Limón
• The title of Keith Roberts' novel Pavane (1968) is an allusion to the dance of the same name and is divided into measures and a coda.

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