Basse danse
A slow, courtly processional dance of the 15th and 16th centuries.
What it means
The basse danse was the most important courtly social dance of the 15th and early 16th centuries at European princely courts, especially in France and Burgundy. Its name (“low dance”) refers to its step type: instead of the leaps and hops that characterized later, livelier dances, the basse danse consisted of gliding, low steps taken at a measured tempo.
Musical use
Musically, the basse danse was often based on a slow tenor cantus firmus in long note values, over which further voices were improvised; surviving sources such as the Burgundian basse danse manuscript document this practice. During the 16th century the basse danse was increasingly displaced by faster dances such as the pavane and passamezzo, but it remained influential as the basic type of the dignified processional dance.
The basse danse should be distinguished from the closely related bergerette, which had a faster, more dance-like character in 6/8 time and was often danced directly following a basse danse.
Performance practice
Listen for the measured, even underlying tempo when interpreting basse danse music; its defining feature is precisely the absence of leaps and rhythmic sharpness in favor of calm, dignified motion.