Siciliana

What it means

The siciliana is a movement and dance type with a rocking, swaying motion in 6/8 or 12/8 time. Its hallmark is the dotted rhythm of eighth, sixteenth, and eighth, which gives the music a gently flowing, pastoral character.

The name refers to Sicily, but it is unclear how closely the type is actually connected to Sicilian folk music.

In the notation

The siciliana is usually notated in 6/8 or 12/8, often headed 'Siciliano' or with a calm tempo marking such as Andante or Larghetto. The melody is often in a minor key and decorated with ornaments.

Musical use

In the Baroque era the siciliana was especially popular and appears as a slow movement in sonatas and concertos and as an expressive aria, for instance in Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti. Because of its rocking character it was often associated with Christmas and pastoral scenes.

The type also stayed alive later: it appears in instrumental works of the Classical and Romantic periods, for example as a middle movement, as well as in film music.

The siciliana should be distinguished from the pastorale, which likewise sounds rural and idyllic but is usually in 12/8 with a drone and other typical features, and from the barcarolle, the rocking gondolier's song, which uses a similar meter but evokes a different image.

Performance practice

Play the dotted rhythm softly rather than sharply, so the rocking motion is preserved. Count in two large beats and give the ornaments room without disturbing the calm flow.