chaconne

[ sha-kawn, -kon, shah-; French sha-kawn ]

noun,plural cha·connes [sha-kawnz, -konz, shah-; French sha-kawn]. /ʃæˈkɔnz, -ˈkɒnz, ʃɑ-; French ʃaˈkɔn/.
  1. an ancient dance, probably of Spanish origin, in moderate triple meter.

  2. a musical form based on the continuous variation of a series of chords or of a ground bass.

Origin of chaconne

1
1675–85; <French <Spanish chacona

Words Nearby chaconne

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chaconne in a sentence

  • It is almost a sacrilege to hear a little girl venturing to approach the chaconne.

    The Devourers | Annie Vivanti Chartres
  • "Write me the music of a chaconne, Monsieur Gluek," said the god of dancing.

  • He has given the greatest performance of the celebrated Bach chaconne ever heard in America.

  • Do you think the Greeks, whose manners we are endeavoring to depict, knew what a chaconne was?

  • It is quite remarkable that some pages of this work, such as the superb chaconne at the end, have a character quite Handelian.

    Handel | Romain Rolland

British Dictionary definitions for chaconne

chaconne

/ (ʃəˈkɒn, French ʃakɔn) /


noun
  1. a musical form consisting of a set of continuous variations upon a ground bass: See also passacaglia

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

Origin of chaconne

1
C17: from French, from Spanish chacona, probably imitative of the castanet accompaniment

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012