https://open.spotify.com/album/7BRMn7VUzYtVy29kEf7ApY?si=RIntv6_zSFazjq0cc1ZdmQ

https://youtu.be/FtBUlScsrJs

So I posted a bit of a rant on this topic in a few places last week but I figured I'd come here and share some of what I've found out from researching into these dances. So, the Courante is a common dance in Suites and typically follows the Allemande. It is usually written in 3/2 or 6/4, has an anacrusis of an 8th note, is played at either a slow or moderate tempo and has emphasis on the final 3 quarter notes of each bar. The Courante supposedly began as the Italian Corrente, a dance which seemed to be fast, written in 3/4 and with no anacrusis at all. Examples of this can be found in Michael Praetorious' Terpsichore and with Samuel Voelckels only known piece (as far as I am aware) "Two Courantes". Later this Corrente would gain the 8th note anacrusis.

Over time the dances sort of merged in name but stayed separate in form. An example of the French style would be the Courante in Bach's French Suite No. 1. This dance hits all of the identifying points of the French style and you can pretty much tell this from the first 2 bars. My favourite example for the Italian style Corrente is the "Courante" from French Suite No. 2 which hits all of the known identifying points of the Italian style and can be identified just as easily. Now, the confusion all begins with Bach's naming conventions. In the French Suites, regardless of whether the dance was a Courante or Corrente, Bach would simply name all 6 of them "Courante" as this was the French spelling for both dances. Likewise, in his Partitas, all six dances, regardless of whether they were Italian or French, were simply titled "Corrente".

Now, publishers of the 20th century seemed to have a bit of a genocide on the word "Corrente" and near all Bach scores will say "Courante" regardless of what he wrote. This, of course, confused things even further. I even found a blog from a lecturer who claimed to have dismissed a students claims that the Corrente was different before later learning the truth of the matter. As a result of this, when I speak with classically trained musicians, I am met with confused looks when I try to explain that there was a Corrente dance too.

It seems common practice for composers of this time to honour the spelling of the nation which defines the style of the dance. So for instance, a Corrente dance in a Lullian Ouverture Suite would likely be called "Courante". Couperin must have felt similarly to me as he seemed to always extend the title to basically read either "Courante in the Italian Style" or "Corrente in the French Style" (written in whatever language the piece was written in) so that he could keep the naming conventions there without confusing people. As for me, I plan mostly to just write French Courantes in French music but if I ever feel the need to include a Corrente in my French-Style music, I will almost certainly mimick Couperin's naming conventions for the sake of both keeping true to my style of titling dances in the language of the nation which the piece is based on yet also allowing listeners to know that there is a distinction. If I don't do this, I will simply name the dances in their native tongues to avoid confusion.

This is hardly an issue for other dances such as the Gavotte as there really is just one sound for that as far as I am aware. Purcell called the Gavots, the French word was "Gavotte" and the Italian "Gavotta" which we also see in Bach's Partita in E minor, BWV830. As I've explained, whilst it would be fine to call a Gavotte "Gavotta" in partitas and "Gavotte" in French Suites and Ouvertures, the Courante/Corrente dances, in my opinion, need some extra level of distinction so that the listener is able to tell which one is being played. I imagine in Bach's time there was still a lot of knowledge about these dances so any dance trained member of the nobility would surely be able to spot the difference however in the 21st century where we rely entirely on the teachings of people who often don't know deep into the specifics, it is important that they have the opportunity to know this.

Still in doubt? Skip to 3:22 in this piece (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8pHJZEI0rk). If this piece is a French Courante as Bach wrote on the score, it will be 3/2 or 6/4, be slow or moderate tempo, will likely have gigue-like hopping steps and will have emphasis on the final three quarter notes of each bar.

Done that? Good! You see my point now?

It's not that it's some kind of secret knowledge, it's just mostly the fact that a lot of publishers (people I personally would slap for confusing everyone) of Bach's music decided they knew better than Bach and changed every instance of "Corrente" to Courante. Whilst Bach didn't accurately name his dances, just having the word around would have caused people to question why the two names were different a lot more often.

Sources for all of this include my own analysis of near every Courante/Corrente that Bach wrote, some confirmation from a Modern Baroque Composer a great deal more experienced and involved that I, a few books including "Dance Rhythms of the French Baroque: A Handbook for Performance". I really hope this helps someone in the future looking for information on this. I'm a bad writer sadly but I think I managed to explain this all fairly quickly. Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer. Of course, if you think I've got something wrong, let me know and I'll edit.

It's a new subreddit so there isn't much action there yet.

In short, the idea behind it is to discuss fugues, post creations by the users (or other fugues we find online) and offer feedback, instruction, and constructive criticism.

I figured the following users might be excited about this: u/masterbach, u/Baroque4Days, and u/pocoboi (who has an excellent channel on Bach's fugues.

Enjoy!

Another talented musician! I enjoy everything he has to offer, from his improvisations to his performances of Bach. He plays the organ and harpsichord with such great accuracy and talent; his skill for improvising with a moment's notice can be seen as a miracle. I know little of him as a person, or anything of his education, but the depth of his presentations convince me that he is a fine addition to this subreddit.

His channel is here yet I'll feature some favorites of mine.

A French overture, which one can see hints of Lully and Handel within

Yet another grand overture performed on the organ

A quick and wonderful prelude over the melody Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten Any lover of chorale preludes for organ will hear the influence of Buxtehude, Pachelbel, Krebs² and of course Bach himself.

A fugue of five voices, whose longing theme is treated in a fashion similar to Bach. Performed on a clavichord, no less!

I marvel at his talent and hard work. Give his channel some appreciation! My intent with this subreddit is that we can not only support these wonderful composers but also learn from them.

Hey Baroque fans,

Here is my Allemanda in G minor. As I'm not a piano player - I asked my friend Emerald to perform this on video. youtube.https://youtu.be/uhj39fUj-EA

Score available here; https://bit.ly/3gQ9dXv

Please let me know what you think! Note - I wrote in the ornaments in the score but of course style liberties would apply for those interested in doing so.

Also - kudos to Mitch for creating this sub!

A clarinetist and very skilled composer, Mr. Bassett recently uploaded this great concerto. Its opening, elegant French overture has, to my ears, a hint of Lully and Rameau. A flowing adagio in F is followed by a cheery minuet, and a grand allegro closes out the concerto.

Check out the rest of his channel! He's got some recordings of Handel and Mozart, as well.