How to structure my Baroque Suite?

So, I started working on a Baroque Suite yesterday, it's going well so far, I'm currently 8 bars into the Allemande. And I was just thinking, I have basically 2 questions here. First off is the question of whether I should stick to the traditional structure or expand it out. I have some degree of familiarity with these 8 Baroque dances:

• Allemande
• Courante
• Sarabande
• Bourree
• Minuet
• Gavotte
• Gigue
• Passepied

Out of these, the 2 I'm most familiar with are the Minuet and Gavotte, which I have composed before. And the one I'm least familiar with is the Passepied. From what I've heard, the Passepied is similar to the Minuet and Gavotte except that it's faster than either and is in 3/8 instead of 3/4 or 4/4(that said, I've seen Minuets in 3/8 as well). I'd be worried though that if I tried writing a Passepied, I would just be writing a Minuet that's too fast, or worse yet, a Gigue, so I don't think I'll include the Passepied in my suite, at least until I know more about what the Passepied is like. The other 7 dances, I am comfortable with trying to write one. Does this mean that I should include all 7 of those dances in my suite? I mean, Bach wrote a suite that has a Bourree, Minuet, and Gavotte, his French Suite no. 6 in E major, so it's not totally out of the question.

However, if I do include all but the Passepied in my suite, how should I order the Bourree, Minuet, and Gavotte? I was thinking maybe this would work best:

1. Bourree
2. Minuet
3. Gavotte

That way, the fast Bourree could act like a halfway point and there's an acceleration towards the Gigue. Of course, I could have it so the Bourree comes after the Gavotte like so:

1. Minuet
2. Gavotte
3. Bourree

Or rearrange it so that the Gavotte comes first like so(this is the order in which they appear in French Suite no. 6 in E major):

1. Gavotte
2. Minuet
3. Bourree

The only problem I see with these two is contrast, specifically, the lack of contrast between the Bourree and the Gigue. Both dances from what I can tell are fast and have dotted rhythms, the main difference I notice is meter, Bourrees being in 4/4 or 2/2 and Gigues being in 6/8 or other meters with groups of 3 eighth notes most of the time(although I have seen a Gigue in 4/4 before, also in Bach's French Suites). The relative lack of contrast between the Minuet and Gavotte isn't a problem because both are middle movements and tend to fulfill the same role in Baroque Suites anyway(and I've seen plenty of suites where the Minuet and Gavotte are right next to each other, same for Gavotte and Bourree). But this same relative lack of contrast between the Bourree and the Gigue might very well be problematic if I have the Bourree be the second to last movement.

I could also sandwich the Bourree in between the Minuet and Gavotte, but I don't know if that's going to work well, I think I'd prefer it to be either the first or last of the 3. Any input on either of these questions?

2 hours ago, caters said:

From what I've heard, the Passepied is similar to the Minuet and Gavotte except that it's faster than either and is in 3/8 instead of 3/4 or 4/4

I don't know if Debussy took some creative licence with this one?

10 minutes ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

I don't know if Debussy took some creative licence with this one?

 

 

I mean, it wouldn't surprise me if he did. I've heard pieces in 4/4 that I could almost describe as waltzes because that's what the bass felt like is a waltz bass because it was like half, quarter, quarter or something like that. And I've heard Gavottes without the upbeat that is characteristic of Gavottes, just starting on 1 instead of 3. And Gigues in 4/4. And marches in 3/4. Rare, yes, but I have heard these atypical pieces.