87: Courantes

 Another of the dances that frequently appears in suites (more so in the cello suites than in the sonatas and partitas) is the “courante” (also known by its Italian name, the “corrente”). In either case, the name of this dance is the language’s word for “running.” (The Italian style is more common in Bach’s work.) The French style, though fast, isn’t as fast or relentless as the Italian style. The Italian style, meanwhile, is usually a fast flurry of notes in 3 (3/4 or 3/8) that is so fast it often makes the most sense to feel it in 1 rather than 3. 

Here are a few examples:

1. From the G major suite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZB5okGllIU&list=RDjZB5okGllIU&start_radio=1

2. From the C major suite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM9_Xfi8Jjo&list=RDZM9_Xfi8Jjo&start_radio=1

3. From the E-flat major suite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdNzOkSsGf4&list=RDHdNzOkSsGf4&start_radio=1 

4. From the D major suite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQPXcWD1Xdg&list=RDWQPXcWD1Xdg&start_radio=1

In these Italian “Corrente,” notice the almost complete lack of polyphony—save maybe adding an open string an octave below the final tonic melody note of a phrase/section—and how this style seems to be a flurry of notes and really makes you feel like you’re running in order to keep up with the notes as they come at you. These two things—the near-complete monophony and the flurry of notes—are the defining characteristics of the Italian version as opposed to the French. 


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