Chaconne

chaconne

1. a musical form consisting of a set of continuous variations upon a ground bass

2. Archaic a dance in slow triple time probably originating in Spain

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Chaconne 

an old dance. The chaconne originated in the late 16th century and acquired its characteristic stately, majestic quality in the 17th century. It is danced in a slow tempo, in ¾ time. J. B. Lully used chaconnes as concluding pieces in his ballets.

In the 17th and 18th centuries the chaconne developed as an instrumental piece with a theme repeated in the bass, in a manner similar to the passacaglia. A chaconne for violin with bass attributed to T. Vitali and the chaconne from J. S. Bach’s Partita in D Minor for Unaccompanied Violin became especially popular. Many pieces have been composed in the chaconne form, including Beethoven’s 32 Variations on an Original Theme in C Minor for Piano. Composers of the 17th and 18th centuries used the chaconne form in opera finales.