After-dance
Fast dance in triple time that follows a duple-time leading dance.
What it means
The after-dance (German Nachtanz) is a fast dance in triple time that in the Renaissance follows a slower dance in duple time, the leading dance. The two dances form a pair and are played together. The after-dance often uses the same melody or the same bass as the leading dance but transforms it rhythmically into triple time. It is also called Hupfauf or Proportz.
Musical use
Well-known dance pairs are pavane and galliard, passamezzo and saltarello, and German dances in dance books of the 16th century. The change from calm walking to lively leaping gave the sequence tension and variety. Later the movement sequences of the suite developed from such pairs.
The after-dance should be distinguished from the leading dance, the first and calmer dance of the pair, and from the suite, which strings together several dances of different origin in a freer sequence.
Performance practice
Practise leading dance and after-dance together: keep the basic beats and pay attention to how the melody is regrouped in triple time. The after-dance should spring and not rush.