courante

[ koo-rahnt; French koo-rahnt ]

noun

, plural cou·rantes [k, oo, -, rahnts, koo-, rahnt].

1. a dance dating back to the 17th century and characterized by a running or gliding step.
2. a piece of music for or suited to this dance.
3. Music. a movement following the allemande in the classical suite.

courante

/ kʊˈrɑːnt /

noun

1. an old dance in quick triple time
2. a movement of a (mostly) 16th- to 18th-century suite based on this

Word History and Origins

Origin of courante¹

1580–90; < Middle French; literally, running, feminine present participle of courir to run; current

Word History and Origins

Origin of courante¹

C16: from French, literally: running, feminine of courant, present participle of courir to run, from Latin currere

Example Sentences

Then we were off, Char naming each dance: a gavotte, a slow sarabande, a courante, an allemande.

From Literature

Ma played slow, but in some dances, particularly courantes and the concluding gigues, he played fast, blurring details, going straight for the jugular.

From Los Angeles Times

Some of the most exhilaratingly virtuosic playing occurred in the quick courantes, while the lively gigues concluded each suite with an air of culminating inevitability.

From Washington Post

Yet even in a stylish courante or minuet, Bach the ingenious master of counterpoint is ever-present.

From New York Times

Mr. Tamestit compared the crazed, fast movement to a courante, adding that the quality of sound was not of utmost importance.

From New York Times