gigue

Lively dance form which developed in two directions, one French, one Italian (giga), probably from the 16th-century English jig. The French variety, popular in France during the early 1700s, is in a moderate or fast tempo (6/4 or 6/8) while the Italian variety is quicker (12/8).

In musical notation, the writing of the French form is characterized by wide leaps and dotted rhythms. It is more contrapuntal than most other dance forms of the period, similar in style to a fugue with an inverted subject (principal melody) for the second theme. The Italian variety is characterized by ‘running’ figures and few leaps. It is non-fugal with a more obvious harmonic framework. The gigue came to be used, more often than not, as the last movement of a baroque suite. Composers of the more common French form include Bach, Handel, and Johann Froberger.