Galop

Originating as a dance form, the galop was named after the fastest running gait of a horse, and is a truncated version of the terms galoppade or the Australian galopede. It is a lively contredance, originating in Europe in the 1820s. Piano and orchestral galops were typically composed and performed in a fast 2/4 time. The galop precedes the polka. Popular in the United States from the 1840s through much of the nineteenth century, the galop was often the final piece played for an evening of dance.