courante
Americannoun
plural
courantes-
a dance dating back to the 17th century and characterized by a running or gliding step.
-
a piece of music for or suited to this dance.
-
Music. a movement following the allemande in the classical suite.
noun
-
an old dance in quick triple time
-
a movement of a (mostly) 16th- to 18th-century suite based on this
Etymology
Origin of courante
1580–90; < Middle French; literally, running, feminine present participle of courir to run; current
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Jacob Ashworth — a violinist and conductor, and the artistic director of Cantata Profana — selected a courante by Susan Kander, a contemporary composer and Mr. Ashworth’s mother.
From New York Times • May 24, 2013
Last week in Los Angeles, Les Fetes d'Hebe was given a glowing new production that reveled in each melodic appoggiatura and terpsichorean temps de courante.
From Time Magazine Archive
Then we were off, Char naming each dance: a gavotte, a slow sarabande, a courante, an allemande.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
The sarabande and courante are likewise interesting as the prototypes of the second movement, and the bourée, minuet, etc., for their connection with the third movement.
From Music Notation and Terminology by Gehrkens, Karl Wilson
A French courante differed from the Italian, and certain dances were taken at different tempi in different countries.
From Critical and Historical Essays Lectures delivered at Columbia University by Baltzell, W. J. (Winton James)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.