Passepied
Fast French dance in 3/8 or 6/8 time.
What it means
The passepied is a fast French dance in 3/8 or 6/8 time with an upbeat. It probably comes from Brittany and was popular at the French court of the 17th century. The melody is light, agile and often in quaver movement, so that the dance is danced with small, quick steps.
Musical use
In the baroque suite the passepied is one of the movements freely inserted between sarabande and gigue, for example in Johann Sebastian Bach's English Suite No. 5. Claude Debussy wrote a Passepied in 1890 as part of his Suite bergamasque. A passepied is often followed by a second in contrast, after which the first is repeated.
The passepied should be distinguished from the minuet, which is slower and more dignified, from the bourrée, which is in duple time, and from the gigue, which is faster and livelier still.
Performance practice
Play the passepied lightly and agilely, with a springy touch. Begin with a clear upbeat and pay attention to a clear grouping of the quavers in threes; too fast a tempo lets the dance movement blur.