Passacaille

The name passacaille meant street song in Spanish and initially appeared in European music as a form of prelude or ritornello. By 1640 it was labeled as a dance in Spanish musical notations, and this version appeared at the French court. At the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century the passacaille, together with the chaconne and the sarabande, was one of the dances most frequently presented on French stages. In the second half of the 18th century it disappeared, supplanted by newer dances. As a theatrical dance, it requires from the dancers an exceptionally high technical level and expressiveness, especially in hand gestures. In triple meter it is performed at a rather fast, lively pace, which is confirmed by its basic step – pas de passacaille, which is a combination of jetté jumps in rotation and body turns – fouetté. The surviving choreographies are mostly for female dancers, dancing solo (e.g. Passacaille d’Armide, Passacaille d’opéra Scilla), and the record of steps confirms the extraordinary difficulty, even virtuosity, that its performance required. The steps include: triple cabriole, triple pas chassé, entrechat, sissonne, contretemps and pirouettes. The greatest dancers of the time portrayed themselves while performing the show-stopping passacaille.