Rigadoon

Description

Rigadoon is Purcell’s English version of a popular 17th-century French dance which was called a “rigaudon.” This particular piece, with its jaunty style, is familiar to many young instrumentalists. Purcell was the greatest and best-known composer in England during his time, and remained the only really notable English composer until the end of the nineteenth century.

This arrangement restructures the piece slightly in order to provide some advantageous teaching opportunities. Call students’ attention the the fact that, formally, the piece is a rondo containing three parts, with the form being ABACA. Each part features a different musical treatment:

The opening is a straightforward harmonization of the tune. Letter “A” gives us a two- part harmonization with the tune in the cello and bass. The Violins and violas play a direct inversion of the melody part. In the return of the first part at “B” the melody is presented as a two-voice canon between the high and low instruments. The third thematic section at “C” recalls a French musette, a dance which featured a small bagpipe. The piece concludes with a full, somewhat more involved harmonization of the first tune.

Published by: String Instrument Specialists