The Dance Suite Connection
"La Camargo Dancing," by French artist Nicolas Lancret (1690-1743)
The Irish jig takes on a French name and ends up in some of Bach and Handel’s best-known keyboard and orchestral works—along with a German folk dance and a 16th century Latin American step that in Spain was banned as “obscene.”
Meanwhile, musicians who bundled these and other popular dance styles were taking the first important steps toward the concerto and symphony.
In this hour, the surprising story of the Baroque suite.