Basse danse

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The basse danse, or "low dance" was the most popular court dance in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, especially at the Burgundian court. When danced, couples moved quietly and gracefully in a slow gliding or walking motion, raising and lowering their bodies--movements from which the name originated. The basse danse later led to the development of the pavane.[1]

Monophonic songs were based on a tenor cantus firmus; the length of the choreography was often derived from popular chansons. In performance, 3 or 4 instrumentalists would improvise the polyphony based on this tenor. In others, multiple parts were written, though in the style of the day choices regarding instrumentation were left to the performers. Most basse danses consisted of a binary form with each section repeated, such as the "No. 1: Basse Danse" from the publication "Danseries a 4 parties" by Pierre Attaingnant, published in 1547.^[1]