Although the gigue was not considered a court dance, it became a fashionable social dance among the European nobility during the 16th and 17th centuries. Many famous composers of the time wrote gigues as a part of a suite.
Origins of the Gigue
Although the earliest form of this quick, wild, pulsating dance has claims in Italy, it is likely that the origins of the gigue come from England. The name ‘gigue’ is possibly derived from the Italian word, giga, which is a small stringed instrument. However, the German term for violin, Geige, and the French word, giguer, to jig, also lead to the gigue.
The gigue has many spellings, such as jig, ieig, iyg, gigge, gig, or jegg. As well as a favourite of aristocrats, the gigue was also very much a folk dance in England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
Musical Accompaniment of the Gigue
William Byrd (or Byrde) composed A Galliards Gygge in 1591, which is one of the earliest known documented scores for the gigue. Other composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, George F Handel, Johann Mattheson, Jean Baptiste Lully and Jean-Phillipe Rameau wrote gigues as final movements of suites.
Gigues are mainly written in 3/8, 6/8, 9/8 or 12/8 time. However, many of the old English jigs are in a lively 2/4 or 4/4. Gigues are brisk, rhythmic and exciting, resembling a gallop.
Gigues in Performance
In the early days of English theatre, performances were often ended with a jig, which was not just a dance but also a combination of frolicsome verses. These were usually sung and danced by a clown or jester, accompanied by a small drum called a tabor and a flute-like pipe.
Gigues were also to be found in classical story ballets from the late nineteenth century such as Coppelia and La Fille Mal Gardee. In the second act of Coppelia, the mischievous Swanhilda dances a charming Scottish gigue for Dr. Coppelius, who believes she is Coppelia, a doll he thinks has come to life. La Fille Mal Gardee presents the hilarious clog dance, a variation of the jig, performed by Mother Simone who is traditionally played by a man.
Contemporary Gigues
In 1930, Agnes De Mille choreographed and performed an outstanding gigue by Bach from his Fifth Fugue, based on a French variation of an Irish shuffle and performed in a style from the 18th century. George Balanchine’s Mozartiana, choreographed in 1981, featured a sprightly gigue danced by a male soloist.
The Italian composer, Alfredo Casella, wrote 11 Pezzi Infantili (Children’s Pieces) in 1921 which included a harsher, raucous Giga for piano. Other examples of modern gigues would be the first of Debussy’s orchestral Images and Jig from Suite for Piano by Richard Donovan.
Dancing the Gigue Today
The old-fashioned gigue remains a popular dance among today’s enthusiasts. Musically, it is exciting and frenzied, and required energy and stamina to perform whether through an instrument or with dance steps. From costume dramas in film and television to stage productions and folk festivals, the gigue dances on.
“Hot and hasty like a Scotch Jigg.” William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
Sources:
Pre-Classic Dance Forms, Louis Horst, Princeton Book Company, New Jersey 1987
The Life of Agnes De Mille, Carole Easton, Little, Brown and Company, New York 1996
Melinda Green Traves - I studied writing with the Writer's Bureau. I have a BFA in Dance from the Boston Conservatory, and teach ballet and Sunday school.
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