In the Baroque dance suite, the galanteries are pieces in the suite which are not "necessary" to the suite (unlike an allemande, courante, sarabande or gigue) but are included to break up the suite giving special colour and offer the chance to perform less familiar pieces. These extra movements usually follow the slow sarabande dance.
In the second French Suite in c minor there are two examples of these additional pieces.The fresh and full of life Air and the gentle, light character Minuet.
Bach demonstrates perfectly the individual character of each dance. Minuet is a dance in a stately manner. It is often short and simple often with only clear theme and little variation. In many suites there are two minuets, in such cases the first minuet is played with repeats, then follows the second minuet with repeats, then the first minuet is repeated (da capo) usually without repeats. There may also be a third minuet, in which case it is played with repeats after the first da capo, afterwards the first minuet is played again (usually without repeats) as a second da capo.
With the Galanterien Bach expands his stylistic dimension. In the French Suites we find air, Anglaise, loure and polonaise, the types are not employed in the English Suites. Bach’s freer, stylized treatment of dances is also evident, the tendency which is even more apparent with Partitas.
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