Danse profane

The idea of writing for an instrument so steeped in ancient tradition, myth and symbolism seems to have awakened images of antique cult dances in Debussy's imagination. The 'sacred' character of the first dance is expressed in a 'very moderate' tempo, a Doric D minor and a solemn main theme made up of mixed trads, the 'secular' character of the second dance in the urbanity of waltz time, a Lydian D major and demands a high degree of virtuosity from the solo instrument.