K. 64 2/4 GAVOTA Allegro d-moll 2:00

The Gavotte, originating as a folk dance, became a French court dance in the 17th century. Its particularly typical characteristic is considered to be the dotted quarter note at the beginning of the measure. In instrumental music, it was often written with notes inégales.

In this work, the generally slow harmonic changes and fixed rhythm provide a sense of stability throughout the piece. After the repeat sign, following the repetition of already familiar rhythmic motifs, a sudden descending scale appears, and both the ostinato rhythm and the regular phrase structure collapse, disrupting the orderly flow of the music. However, from measure 24, a series of familiar motifs reappears, and after a modulation to the tonic key, the section from measure 8 returns (though with changes in the latter half). Perhaps the interruption of regularity leaves no significant sense of incongruity because the stability of rhythm and harmony is strong enough to offset the disruption.