A medium-paced French dance from the 17th-18th centuries characterized by a rising motion, or the music composed for such a dance.
From French 'gavotte,' derived from the Gavots people of the Dauphiné region. The dance became standardized in French court culture and then spread throughout Europe.
Baroque composers couldn't resist writing gavottes—Bach, Handel, and Rameau all created dozens, because the dance's simple structure was like a musical blank canvas.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.