sarabande

British  

/ ˈsærəˌbænd /

noun

1. a decorous 17th-century courtly dance

2. music a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance, in slow triple time, often incorporated into the classical suite

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Etymology

Origin of sarabande

C17: from French, from Spanish zarabanda, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

The heart and soul of suites by Bach and Handel are often found in the slow, central sarabande, said to be a dance of Spanish origin.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2025

That Handel sarabande was one of the catchy opening numbers of “Sarabande Africaine,” Ma’s joint appearance with Afropop singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo at the Hollywood Bowl on Thursday night.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2025

Mr. Ashbery has surely seen the Stravinsky-Balanchine ballet “Agon,” in which there are several modernist variants on bygone dances; a sarabande, danced by a male soloist, is one of them.

From New York Times • Jul. 28, 2015

It's also in love with how Victorian Brits talked, that mellifluous sarabande danced around actual emotion.

From Slate • Jul. 27, 2010

Then we were off, Char naming each dance: a gavotte, a slow sarabande, a courante, an allemande.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine