(Fr., 'a following') - Commonly describes an instrumental piece in several movements consisting of a sequence of dances. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the suite included the characteristic dance forms allemande, courante, sarabande and gigue. In the mid-18th century, the binary form feature of the dances was developed into sonata form. The sonata and also the symphony then became the chief instrumental forms. In the l9th and 20th centuries the term describes a lighter work than a sonata. A suite may also describe a set of movements assembled from a ballet or opera score.?