Muñeira
Galician dance in duple metre, moderately fast.
What it means
The muñeira (Galician muiñeira) is a folk dance from Galicia in north-western Spain. It is usually in 6/8 time with two main beats and is danced at a moderately fast to lively tempo. The rhythm is springy and swaying. Older descriptions give the metre as 2/4, which corresponds to the two main beats per bar.
Musical use
The muñeira is traditionally accompanied by the Galician bagpipe (gaita gallega), by a drum and by the hand drum pandeireta. It is one of the best-known dances of Galicia and is danced at festivals. Composers from Spain and Galicia have taken up the rhythm in concert music and art song.
The muñeira should be distinguished from the jota, a dance in triple time from Aragon, and from the fandango, also in triple time and from southern Spain.
Performance practice
Play the muñeira with springy momentum and clearly two large beats in the bar. Keep the basic pulse even so that the dance can be danced, and emphasise the dotted figures of the melody.