Suite

What it means

The suite is a sequence of movements resting predominantly on dance types. The core of the Baroque suite consists of the allemande, courante, sarabande, and gigue; inserted movements such as minuet, bourrée, gavotte, or passepied stand between them, and the opening is often a prelude or an overture. All movements stand in the same key; unity thus arises not from thematic relations but from key and the sequence of characters. The dances are stylized, that is, not intended for dancing.

Musical use

Every movement type has features of its own: metre, tempo, typical rhythms, accent relations, and upbeat formation. Whoever knows these plays the movements differently; whoever does not know them plays them the same. The Baroque orchestral suite is often called an overture after its opening movement. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, suite also designates a compilation of movements from a larger work, for instance from a ballet or incidental music, such as Grieg's Peer Gynt suites (op. 46, 1888, and op. 55, 1893) from the incidental music of 1875. To distinguish: the partita can mean the same thing but also designates a variation cycle.

Performance practice

Work out the dance characters — that is the most important task with a suite. Clarify for every movement the metre, the basic pulse, and the question of where the strong and weak beats lie; from this articulation and phrasing result. Plan the tempo relations between the movements and the pauses between them. Note repeats and decide about ornaments at the repeat. Check the edition for editorial additions and separate them from the source's indications.

The dance movements are not played for dancing: this means freedom in timing but no freedom regarding the accent relations that make up the type. Also check whether inserted dance movements are connected in pairs with a second movement and the first returns afterward, as with a minuet and trio.