Thegigue (/ʒiːɡ/ZHEEG,French:[ʒiɡ]) orgiga (Italian:[ˈd͡ʒiːɡa]) is a livelybaroque dance originating from the Englishjig. It was imported into France in the mid-17th century[2] and usually appears at the end of a suite. The gigue was probably never a court dance, but it was danced by nobility on social occasions and several court composers wrote gigues.[3]
A gigue is usually in3
8 or in one of itscompound metre derivatives, such as6
8,6
4,9
8 or12
8, although there are some gigues written in other metres, as for example the gigue fromJohann Sebastian Bach's firstFrench Suite (BWV 812), which is written in2
2 and has a distinctive strutting"dotted" rhythm.
Gigues often have acontrapuntal texture as well as often having accents on the third beats in the bar, making the gigue a lively folk dance.
In early French theatre, it was customary to end a play's performance with a gigue, complete with music and dancing.[3]
A gigue, like other Baroque dances, consists of two sections.
An early Italian dance called thegiga probably derives its name from a small accompanying stringed instrument called thegiga. Historians, such as Charles Read Baskerville, claim that use of the word in relation to dancing took place in England prior to such usage on the Continent.Giga probably has a separate etymology.[3]
Jonathan Littell's novelThe Kindly Ones is structured in different parts, each one of these named after aBaroque dance, the last part being calledGigue.
