Farandole
Provençal chain dance in 6/8 time.
What it means
The farandole is an old chain dance from Provence. The dancers hold hands or handkerchiefs and wind in a long, snaking line through streets and squares. The music is in lively 6/8 time and is traditionally played by flute and small drum, the Provençal galoubet and tambourin.
Musical use
As a folk dance the farandole belongs to festivals and processions of Provence. It entered art music above all through Georges Bizet's incidental music L'Arlésienne: the farandole of the second orchestral suite combines a Provençal dance theme with the march theme of the three kings into a rousing finale.
The farandole should be distinguished from the tarantella, a southern Italian dance likewise in fast 6/8 time that is danced singly or in pairs. It differs from the round dance in the long, drawn-out walking in a chain through the town.
Performance practice
Play the farandole with an even, dance-like pulse with two main beats per bar and let the melody sound clear and light. If you dance or walk along, keep the chain's step together, since evenness carries the dance.