A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Passepied

by William Barclay Squire

PASSEPIED (English Paspy), a dance which originated amongst the sailors of Basse Bretagne, and is said to have been first danced in Paris by street-dancers in the year 1587. It was introduced into the ballet in the time of Louis XIV, and was often included in instrumental Suites and Partitas; it was placed among the 'intermezzi,' or dances which strictly form no part of the Suite, but were sometimes introduced into it between the Saraband and the final Gigue. [See Suite.] Bach, however, does not adhere to this rule, but in his Partita in B minor, places the Passepied before the Saraband. In character the Passepied somewhat resembles the Minuet, but it is played much faster, and should always begin on the last beat of the bar, although in some examples, chiefly by English composers, it begins on the first beat. It is written in 3-4 or 3-8 time, and generally consists of two, three, or four parts of eight or sixteen bars each, played with two or more repeats. We give the first half of one from Couperin's Suites.

In the Suite the first part (or first two parts, if the Passepied consists of three or four divisions) is generally in a major key, and the last part (or last two parts, if it consists of four divisions) forms a sort of Trio or 2nd Passepied, and is in the minor, in which key the dance concludes. Couperin develops this still further, and has a Passepied with variations. The dance became popular in England towards the beginning of the 18th century, and many examples by English composers are extant. Directions for dancing^[1] it, as it was performed in the ballet by one or two dancers, will be found in Feuillet's 'Chorégraphie.' [See Orchesographie.]

[ W. B. S. ]

1. The proper expression seems to be 'to run a Passepied.' Thus Noverre 'Lettres sur la Danse,' p. 164. has the following:—'Ils font des Paisepieds parce que Mademoiselle Prévôt les couroit avec élégance.'