The Allemande is a Baroque dance that is characteristically written in 4/4 time (common time). It originated as a German dance (the name means "German" in French) and became a standard movement in the Baroque suite, typically appearing as the first dance after the prelude.
The Allemande is performed at a moderate tempo with a flowing, continuous style. It typically begins with an anacrusis (a short upbeat, usually a single semiquaver or quaver before the first full bar). Its texture is usually polyphonic, with interwoven melodic lines.
The other time signatures belong to different dances in the Baroque suite. A dance in 3/4 time would be a Minuet or a Sarabande. 3/2 time is associated with the Sarabande in some settings. 6/4 or 6/8 time signatures are associated with the Gigue (jig). Remembering the time signature associated with each standard Baroque dance is essential for examinations on this topic.
