The pavane, pavan, paven, pavin, pavian, pavine, or pavyn (It. pavana, padovana; Ger. Paduana) is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century (Renaissance).

Origin of term

The origin of this term is not known. Possibilities include the word being

• from Italian "[danza] Padovana", meaning "[dance] typical of Padua" (as in Bergamask); this is consistent with the equivalent form, "Paduana"
• or from the Spanish pavón meaning peacock (Sachs 1937, 356),

though the dance was "almost certainly of Italian origin" (Brown 2001).

A pavane is a slow piece of music which is danced to in pairs. The dancers usually step forward, lift up their legs, and point their toes.^{[citation needed]}

History

The decorous sweep of the pavane suited the new more sober Spanish-influenced courtly manners of 16th century Italy. It appears in dance manuals in England, France, and Italy. The musical pavane survived hundreds of years after the dance itself was abandoned, especially in the form of the tombeau.^{[citation needed]}

Music

• Slow duple metre (Double Time 2/2).
• Generally follows the form of A,A1, B,B1, C,C1.
• It generally uses counterpoint or homophonic accompaniment.
• Often accompanied by a tabor, according to Arbeau 1967, 59–64) in a rhythmic pattern of minim-crotchet-crotchet (1/2-1/4-1/4) or similar.
• This dance was generally paired with the Galliard.

Dance

In Thoinot Arbeau's French dance manual, it is generally a dance for many couples in procession, with the dancers sometimes throwing in ornamentation (divisions) of the steps (Arbeau 1967, 59–66).

Modern use

The step used in the pavane survives to the modern day in the hesitation step sometimes used in weddings.

More recent works titled "pavane" often have a deliberately archaic mood. Examples include:

• The classical composition Pavane (1887) by Gabriel Fauré. (This is a modern version of the Renaissance version.)
• The classical composition Pavane pour une infante défunte (1899) by Maurice Ravel
• "Pavane: She's So Fine" (1994) from John's Book of Alleged Dances by John Coolidge Adams
• The choreography The Moor’s Pavane (1949) by José Limón
• The title of Keith Roberts' novel Pavane (1968) is an allusion to the dance of the same name and is divided into measures and a coda.
• The title of a song from Verehrt und Angespien, the second studio album of the folk metal band In Extremo
• An instrumental entitled "Pavanne for the Sleeping Beauty" [sic] by Joe Walsh on his album So What
• The fourth movement of the suite "The Fall of the House of Usher" from the progressive rock album Tales of Mystery and Imagination by The Alan Parsons Project (1976)
• Sex and The City Season Six Episode 86. Charlotte collects herself and goes out.Song: Pavane Artist: Regina Carter (2003)
• The song Pavane from the progressive rock album The Jethro Tull Christmas Album by Jethro Tull
• The song Pavan from the progressive folk album Evensong by Amazing Blondel.
• The title of a song from Water Forest an album by Rurutia.
• "From the wings I heard and watched the pavane of tragedy move steadily towards its climax" in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

References

• Arbeau, Thoinot. 1967. Orchesography. Translated by Mary Stewart Evans. With a new introd. and notes by Julia Sutton and a new Labanotation section by Mireille Backer and Julia Sutton. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-21745-0
• Brown, Alan. 2001. "Pavan". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. S. Sadie and J. Tyrrell. London: Macmillan.
• Sachs, Curt. 1937. World History of the Dance. Translated by Bessie Schönberg. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.