sarabande is marked "avec une élégance grave et lente" (with a slow and solemn elegance). debussy said it should be "rather like an old portrait in the louvre". émile vuillermoz described debussy's playing of the movement as "with the easy simplicity of a good dancer from the sixteenth century". hewitt calls it "antique and modern at the same time". the movement has been regarded as "among the most intimate music for the keyboard", showing an affinity to erik satie such as his 1887 three dances called "sarabandes".