double

Ornamental variation. In French Baroque practice, a double is a written-out variation of the preceding piece in which all or most of the notes are subdivided and ornamented — the original's rhythm and melody are recognisable through the added figuration. Couperin employs the double in Ordre 2 (Canaries avec double), Ordre 14 (Double du rossignol), and the Menuet et double in Ordre 1. The double is always played immediately after its parent piece; together they form one logical unit.

In a double, the ornamental figuration should illuminate the harmony and counterpoint of the original, not obscure it. Practise the original first until it is secure; then let the double's faster notes feel like an elaboration of something already well understood. The character of the original determines the character of the double — a grave sarabande's double is still grave, even if its surface is faster.