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An allemande (also spelled allemanda, almain, or alman) (from French "German") is a type of dance popular in Baroque music, and a standard element of a suite, generally the first or second movement (in which case the first one is a sort of prelude, whatever its name (prelude, toccata, preambulum, ouverture,etc.)
It originated in the 16th century as a duple metre dance of moderate tempo, presumably derived from dances supposed to be favored in Germany at the time. French composers of the 17th century experimented with the allemande, shifting to quadruple meter and ranging more widely in tempo. German composers like Froberger and Bach followed suit in their allemandes for keyboard, although ensemble allemandes tended to stay in a more traditional form.
Italian and English composers were more free with the allemande, writing in counterpoint and using a variety of tempos (Corelli wrote allemandes ranging from largo to presto).
Late in the 18th century, "allemande" came to be used for a new type of dance in triple meter; Weber's Douze allemande op. 4 of 1801 anticipates the waltz.
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