passacaglia

noun

1. a slow, dignified dance of Spanish origin.
2. the music for this dance, based on an ostinato figure.
3. a musical form based on continuous variations over a ground bass.

noun

1. an old Spanish dance in slow triple time
2. a slow instrumental piece characterized by a series of variations on a particular theme played over a repeated bass partSee also chaconne (def. 1)

n.dance tune of Spanish origin, 1650s, from Italian, from Spanish pasacalle, from pasar “to pass” (see pass (v.)) + calle “street.” So called because they often were played in the streets.