Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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740 SUITE SUITE
the subdominant, settles well back again into
the original key and concludes. The only break
therefore is in the middle ; and the two halves
are made purposely to balance one another, as
far as may be, without definite recapitulation.
In a few movements, such especially as sarabandes
and intermezzi, the second half is somewhat
extended to admit of a little development
and free modulation, but the general principles
in the average number of oases are the same,
namely, to diffuse the character of the principal
figures and features throughout, rather than to
concentrate the interest of the subject in definite
parts of the movement. In order, however, to
strengthen the effect of balance between the two
halves, certain devices are common and characteristic,
especially with regard to the beginnings
and endings of each half. Thus though composers
do not seem to have aimed at recapitulation,
there is frequently a clear relation between the
opening bars of each half. ^Thia often amounts
to no more than a subtle equivalence in the
distribution of the group of rhythms in the bar,
or a very loose transcript of its melodic features;
But in some cases, most especially in Bach, the
opening bars of the latter half present a free inversion
of the beginning of the first half, or a
sort of free shuffling of the parts approximating
to double counterpoint. The first mode is
clearly illustrated by the Courante of the third
Partita in A minor as follows :—
Ist half.
m
2nd half.
=^ ^^^
E^
m^
The AUemande of the fourth Suite Anglaise
supplies a remarkable example of free inversion
of figures and parts at the same time :
Isthalf
The other point, of even more common occurrence,
is the correspondence of the ends of each
half, which prevails particularly in allemandes,
couraiites, and gigues. A very fine and full
example is supplied by the AUemande of Baoh'a
first Suite Anglaise ; the Courante of his second
Suite Fran9aise supplies another of some length ;
and among works of other composers the AUemande
of Lully's Suite in E minor, the Courante
of Mattheson's Suite No. 5 in C minor, the
Courante of Handel's fourth Suite, the Gigne
of his eighth Suite, and most of his Allemandes,
are instances to the point. In the
particular manner of the suite movements
both these devices are exceedingly effective as
emphasising the balance of halves, and in the
finest movements the balance of material and
'modulation is carefully distributed for the same^
end. Thus much of form applies more or less!
to all the movements which are based on dance
rhigihms, or developed on that principle,
^^^ach of the movements has also severally
Miistinct characteristics, upon which the form of
the suite as a whole is mainly based. For the
better understanding of this it will be best to
take the group which forms the average n;icleus
or so-called canoji of the Suite. Jin the severest
simplicity of the form the A^Uemande comes
first, as in all Bach's French Suites, in some of
Couperin's, and many by earlier composers.
The origin of the movement is obscure, and it
is maintained that it is not based upon any
dance, since the AUemande of Suabian origin,
said to be the only dance-foim of that name
known, is quite distinct from it. However
that may be, its constitution, which is most
important, consists mainly of moderately slow
4 -time, with regular smooth motion—most
frequently of semiquavers—distributed in ,a
figurate manner between the various parts, and
its character has been generaUy regarded as appropriately
quiet and sober ; which Mattheson
described as the 'Ruhe des Anfangs.' To this
the Courante, which almost invariably follows
it in the mature suite, is supposed ana intended
to supply a contrast, but it cannot be maintained
that it always does so suocessfuUy. The character
of this movement varies considerably,
owing chiefly to the fact that there are two
decidedly distinct forms derived from different
sources. The one of Italian origin which is
found most frequently in Corelli's Sonatas, in
most of Handel's, in some but not all^fttPtfrcell's
Suites, and in Bach's fifth and sixth French
Suites, and fifth Partita, is in 3-4 time, of
quick, light, and direct movement, full of rapiJ
passages ofsimple character, with simple rhythm,
and free from complication. This in general
supplies in an obvious sense a fair contrast to
the AUemande. The other Courante, of French
origin, is nominally in 3-2 time, but its characteristic
is a peculiar intermixture of 3-2
and 6-4, which is supposed to produce a stronger