Galop

What it means

The galop (German Galopp) is a fast couple dance in 2/4 time that was especially popular in the nineteenth century. The name refers to the gait of the horse: the dancers move through the hall with quick hopping and side steps.

Characteristic are a very quick tempo, a duple metre with distinct emphasis on the first beat, and an exuberant, rousing character. The galop was usually short and was often played at the end of a ball or as the conclusion of a sequence of dances, as a last climax, so to speak.

Related is the polka, likewise a 2/4 dance of the nineteenth century, which is however more moderate and more even. The galop is quicker and more impetuous.

In the notation

The galop is in 2/4 time with an accompaniment that emphasizes the alternation of strong and weak beats. The melody is rhythmically pregnant, often with repeated notes and quick runs. The form is clearly articulated, usually in sections of eight or sixteen bars, often with a contrasting middle section.

Musical use

In the nineteenth century the galop belonged to the fixed repertoire of ball music and was played by dance bands and light orchestras. Composers of dance music wrote numerous galops. It also appears in operettas and stage works, often in scenes of exuberant bustle. As a character piece it has survived in the piano literature.

The galop was one of the fastest social dances of the nineteenth century. It stood at the end of balls and is kept in fast 2/4 time, with a hopping change step. Johann Strauss father and son wrote many galops. Offenbach's cancan from Orpheus in the Underworld is musically a galop. It often concluded the evening of a ball. It is in 2/4 time.

Performance practice

Keep the tempo quick and even, without rushing. Emphasize the first beat distinctly and keep the second light. Play the accompaniment taut and springy. And take care that the closing intensification really sounds like a climax — a galop lives from its rousing effect.