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This article is about various types of dance and music called "bourrée".

The bourrée is a dance
Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to Motion of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of Emotional expression, social social interaction or presented in a spirituality or performance setting....
 of French origin common in Auvergne
Auvergne (province)

Auvergne was a historic province of France in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the List of rulers of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
 and Biscay
Biscay

Biscay is a province of the Basque Country in Spain.It is generally accepted that Bizkaia, the original Basque term, means something like 'mountain' or 'cliff'....
 in Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 in the 17th century. It is danced in quick double time
Metre (music)

Meter or metre is a concept related to an underlying division of time characteristic of western music. The concept provides that the pattern, is usually 2, 3, or 4 beats long, , and each beat may be normally divided into 2 or 3 basic subdivisions ....
, somewhat resembling the gavotte
Gavotte

The gavotte originated as a France folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap region of Dauphin?, where the dance originated....
. The main difference between the two is the anacrusis
Anacrusis

In poetry, anacrusis is the lead-in syllables, collectively, that precede the first full measure.In music, it is the note or sequence of notes which precedes the first downbeat in a bar ....
, or upbeat; a bourrée starts on the last beat of a bar, creating a quarter-bar anacrusis, whereas a gavotte has a half-bar anacrusis.






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This article is about various types of dance and music called "bourrée".

The bourrée is a dance
Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to Motion of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of Emotional expression, social social interaction or presented in a spirituality or performance setting....
 of French origin common in Auvergne
Auvergne (province)

Auvergne was a historic province of France in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the List of rulers of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
 and Biscay
Biscay

Biscay is a province of the Basque Country in Spain.It is generally accepted that Bizkaia, the original Basque term, means something like 'mountain' or 'cliff'....
 in Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 in the 17th century. It is danced in quick double time
Metre (music)

Meter or metre is a concept related to an underlying division of time characteristic of western music. The concept provides that the pattern, is usually 2, 3, or 4 beats long, , and each beat may be normally divided into 2 or 3 basic subdivisions ....
, somewhat resembling the gavotte
Gavotte

The gavotte originated as a France folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap region of Dauphin?, where the dance originated....
. The main difference between the two is the anacrusis
Anacrusis

In poetry, anacrusis is the lead-in syllables, collectively, that precede the first full measure.In music, it is the note or sequence of notes which precedes the first downbeat in a bar ....
, or upbeat; a bourrée starts on the last beat of a bar, creating a quarter-bar anacrusis, whereas a gavotte has a half-bar anacrusis. It often has a dactylic
Dactyl (poetry)

A dactyl is a type of Meter . In quantitative verse, such as Greek language or Latin, a dactyl is a long syllable followed by two short syllables, as determined by syllable weight....
 rhythm. In his Der Vollkommene Capellmeister (Hamburg, 1739), Johann Mattheson wrote of the bourrée, "its distinguishing feature resides in contentment and a pleasant demeanor, at the same time it is somewhat carefree and relaxed, a little indolent and easygoing, though not disagreeable".

Composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organ whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque music period and brought it to its ultimate maturity....
, George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel was an England Baroque music composer of Germany birth who is famous for his operas, oratorios, and concerto grosso. His life and music may justly be described as "cosmopolitan": he was born in Germany, trained in Italy, and spent most of his life in England....
, and Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin

Fr?d?ric Chopin was a composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic music period. He is widely regarded as the greatest Polish composer, and one of music's greatest tone poets....
 used the musical form of the bourrée. The dance survives to this day in the Auvergne and has been successfully "exported" to the UK and other countries. The bourrée of lower Auvergne, also called Montagnarde, is in triple time, while that of high Auvergne is in double time.

History and usage

Johann Sebastian Bach often used the bourrée in his suites as one of the optional dance movements that come after the sarabande
Sarabande

In music, the sarabande is a dance in triple metre. The second and third beats of each measure are often tied, giving the dance a distinctive rhythm of crotchets and minims in alternation....
 but before the gigue
Gigue

The gigue or giga is a lively baroque dance originating from the British jig. It was imported into France in the mid-17th century and usually appears at the end of a suite....
; he also wrote two short bourrées in his Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach
Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach

The title Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach refers to either of two manuscript notebooks that the Germany Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach presented to his second wife Anna Magdalena Bach....
. George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel was an England Baroque music composer of Germany birth who is famous for his operas, oratorios, and concerto grosso. His life and music may justly be described as "cosmopolitan": he was born in Germany, trained in Italy, and spent most of his life in England....
, a contemporary of Bach, wrote several bourrées in his solo chamber sonatas; perhaps his best-known, however, is No. 7 in the F major suite of the Water Music
Water Music (Handel)

The Water Music is a collection of orchestral movements, often considered as three suites, composed by George Frideric Handel. It premiered in the summer of 1717 when George I of Great Britain requested a concert on the River Thames....
. In the 19th Century, composers such as Frédéric Chopin and the Auvergne-born Emmanuel Chabrier
Emmanuel Chabrier

Emmanuel Chabrier was a French Romantic music composer....
 wrote bourrées for the piano (such as the latter's Bourrée fantasque
Bourrée fantasque

Bourr?e fantasque is a piece of music for solo piano by Emmanuel Chabrier , being one of his last major completed works....
, composed 1891). The Victorian English composer, Sir Hubert Parry
Hubert Parry

Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet was an English composer, best known for the choral song And did those feet in ancient time, the coronation anthem I was glad and the hymn tune Repton, which sets the words Dear Lord and Father of Mankind....
 included a bourrée in his Lady Radnor Suite (1894). Another famous bourrée is part of Michael Praetorius
Michael Praetorius

Michael Praetorius was a German composer, organ , and writer about music. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of musical forms based on Protestant Reformation hymns....
's The Dances of Terpsichore.

The bourrée is also a ballet
Ballet

Ballet is a formalized type of performative dance, the origins of which date lay in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century France courts, and which was further developed in England, Italy, and Russia as a concert dance form....
 step
Dance move

Dance moves or Dance steps, are the building blocks of many dances. More complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures or dance variations....
 consisting of a rapid movement of the feet while en pointe
En pointe

Dancing on pointe, or en pointe , is the act of standing on the tips of the toes while performing Glossary of ballet terms from ballet. Also known as pointe work, it is performed using hard–toed and stiff-shanked pointe shoes....
 or demi-pointe. A pas-de-bourrée consists of bending both legs, extending one, then stepping up, up, down, finishing with bent knees. It is more commonly known as the 'behind side front' or 'back side front'. A pas-de-bourrée-piqué picks up the feet in between steps.

The Bourrée in popular music

The Bourrée has been utilized as a form by a number of pop
Pop music

Pop music is a music genre that features a noticeable rhythmic element, melodies and hook , a mainstream style and a conventional structure.The term "pop music" was first used in 1926 in the sense of "having popular appeal" , but since the 1950s it has been used in the sense of a musical genre, originally characterized as a lighter alternat...
 and rock music
Rock music

Rock music is a loosely defined genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the mid 1950's. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues, country music and other influences....
 bands. A few examples include:

  • Progressive rock
    Progressive rock

    Progressive rock is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." The term "art rock" is often used interchangeably with "progressive rock", but while there are crossovers between the two genres, they are not identical....
     band Jethro Tull
    Jethro Tull (band)

    Jethro Tull are a United Kingdom rock music group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the songs, vocals and flute work of Ian Anderson , who has led the band since its founding, and guitarist Martin Barre, who has #Lineups....
     included an instrumental track inspired by Bach's     Bourrée in E minor
    Bourrée in E minor

    Bourr?e in E minor is a popular lute piece, the fifth movement from Suite in E minor for Lute, BWV 996 written by Johann Sebastian Bach....
     on their 1969 album Stand Up
    Stand Up (Jethro Tull album)

    Stand Up is the second album by Jethro Tull . Prior to this album, the band's original guitarist Mick Abrahams had left the band due to musical differences with Ian Anderson ....
    .


  • Jimmy Page
    Jimmy Page

    James Patrick Page Order of the British Empire is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he co-founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin....
     of Led Zeppelin
    Led Zeppelin

    Led Zeppelin were an English rock music band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal music bands....
     played the opening section of     Bourrée in E minor as part of the solo of a live performance of Heartbreaker


  • Rock band Tenacious D
    Tenacious D

    Tenacious D is a Satire rock band formed in Los Angeles, California. The band consists of musicians and actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass .Tenacious D formed in 1994 when the members performed as an acoustic duo....
     plays a short rendition of     Bourrée in E minor in the track "Rock Your Socks" on their eponymous album and on the track Classico on their second album.


  • Rock guitarist Blues Saraceno
    Blues Saraceno

    Blues Saraceno is an United States rock guitarist and music producer from Connecticut.Saraceno was discovered by Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine, which assisted him in releasing instrumental recordings on an independent basis....
     plays a jazz version of     Bourrée in E minor in the beginning and end of the track "Bouree" on his third album, Hairpick.