 PART 1a: DANCE CONTEXT 8 Setting the scene ~ 9 Dance and diplomacy ~ 10 Depictions of dance ~ 11 France ~ 18 The earliest recorded dancing ~ 18 Bassedanse parties and Arena’s rules ~ 21 Courtly entertainments ~ 27 Lack of Italian influence ~ 28 The 1548 Lyon pageant ~ 28 Italy ~ 30 Dancing outdoors ~ 30 Dancing in villas and private chambers ~ 31 Dancing in sacred plays ~ 32 Visual topoi: the dancing of Salome and the maenads 34 Visual topoi: the three graces, the nine muses ~ 36 Dancing at grand occasions in the mid-15th century ~ 42 Dancing at grand occasions in the late-15th early 16th century ~ 47 Social dance as depicted in art ~ 49 The dances ~ 52 Domenico’s defence of dance ~ 54 Guglielmo’s defence of dance ~ 55 Ficino and dance’s relation with celestial movement ~ 58 The early 16th century, the ‘Il Papa manuscript’ and a new dance language ~ 59 Castiglione and the courtier ~ 60 French Influence ~ 61 Germany and its neighbours ~ 63 The folk tradition and the peasant kermis ~ 63 The Italian and French influence ~ 66 Genteel processions ~ 68 Processional dance in Aldegrever’ engravings ~ 73 Hapsburg Lowlands ~ 79 Dance in Maximilian I's Freydal manuscript ~ 80 Dance entertainments in Binche, Belgium, in 1549 ~ 90 Dance entertainments in Brussels in 1550 ~ 92 England ~ 95 The Lincoln’s Inn Moot Book ~ 95 The Gresley manuscript ~ 95 Robert Coplande and the French Influence ~ 99 The Salisbury ~ 101 Elyot’s defence of dance ~ 101 Tudor entertainments ~ 110 Scotland~ 114 PART 1b: DANCE FORMS 118 The enigmatic Carol ~ 120 Its name ~ 120 Its origin ~ 120 Its participants ~ 121 Its formation ~ 123 Its choreography ~ 124 Its music and accompaniment ~ 125 Its demise and heirs ~ 125 The Enigmatic German dance ~ 129 An early figured Almain ~ 129 Early Almain sequences—the left to right feast to dance storyline ~ 135 Early Almain sequences—storylines in other formats ~ 140 Other enigmatic dance forms ~ 149 The Bal ~ 149 The Moresca ~ 149 The follow-the-leader dance ~ 150 Other dances ~ 153 The French basse dance ~ 156 Origin ~ 156 The Nancy manuscript of 1445—the earliest extant dance instructions ~ 157 Late 15th century basse dance sources ~ 159 Early 16th century basse dance sources ~ 160 Basse dances with- and without a lively fore-dance ~ 160 Basse dances with a lively ‘alta’ and/or ‘gioiosa’ after dance ~ 161 The early categorisation of regular basse dances ~ 162 The early basse dance—how did it fit the music? ~ 165 The early Basse dance—who led the matching of dance and tune? ~ 167 Were the early French basse dances as figured as the Italian ones? ~ 170 The ‘late basse dance’ of the early 16th century ~ 172 Late basse dance main sequence preferences ~ 173 The rise of the basse dance commune ~ 175 Late basse dance tune composition ~ 176 Late Basse dance return or moitié preferences ~ 177 Late Basse dance participation and route ~ 178 Late basse dance foot preferences ~ 180 The late basse dance’s changing character ~ 180 The basse dance’s passing ~ 181 The basse dance in illustrations ~ 182 Other French dances ~ 188 The Tordion ~ 188 The Pavan and Galliard ~ 189 The Branle ~ 194 Italian dance forms ~ 196 Dance taxonomy ~ 196 Bassadanza ~ 200 Quadernaria ~ 205 Saltarello ~ 207 Piva ~ 210 The ballo of pre-1500 texts ~ 212 Music for early Italian dances ~ 215 Concordance of early Italian dances ~ 218 Post-1500 balletti and the Il Papa ms dances ~ 224 The Spanish baja, alta & ioyos ~ 230 PART 1c: DANCE ELEMENTS 231 Style ~ 232 Class difference ~ 232 Gender differences ~ 232 Domenico’s theory and the six elements of good style ~ 235 Memory/memoria ~ 238 Measure/misura ~ 239 Maniera / manner ~ 240 Aere / Air ~ 243 Diversità di cose / Variety ~ 244 Partire di terreno / Partitioning the Ground ~ 244 Movimento corporeo / Body Movement ~ 245 The inter-relations between elements ~ 246 Fantasmata / ombre phantasamtica ~ 248 Other skills to do with spacing ~ 250 Etiquette ~ 251 According to the Italian masters ~ 251 According to Arena ~ 251 Honours ~ 256 Riverenza / Reverence ~ 256 Brief Riverenza ~ 257 Riverenza in terra ~ 257 Riverenzetta / reverenzetta~ 258 Hat ~ 258 Kissing ~ 258 Holds, formations and orientations ~ 260 Imperatives influencing dynamics ~ 260 ‘Over-the-top’ hand holds ~ 262 Cross hand and arm holds ~ 265 a la fila ~ 268 in triangolo ~ 270 Longways sets for many couples ~ 270 Use of the arms ~ 270 Figures ~ 272 A lively opening promenade~ 272 Promenade, gypsy, single hand, two hand ~ 274 Side-by-side to man above woman below ~ 274 Inverting and reverting a triangle ~ 274 Following the feigning with the full ~ 275 Snaking and weaving (‘heys’) ~ 275 Men/women teasing, leaving, chasing ~ 276 1st then 2nd then 3rd do figures ~ 276 Taking turn leading the dance ~ 277 Jousting-like passing through ~ 277 Competing men ending in exchanged places with woman in between ~ 278 Steps ~ 279 Domenico’s theory ~ 279 Adding to the theory ~ 280 Departing from the theory ~ 282 Angelosa, Angles or Portugese step ~ 282 Branle / Brawle / Congé ~ 283 Braban(t) (pas de) / Brabante (passo)~ 285 Cambia ~ 286 Congé ~ 286 Continenza ~ 286 Contrapasso ~ 287 Desmarche / Riprese ~ 288 Doppio / Double / Doblis~ 290 Escambiamento / Cambiamento / Scambio ~ 292 Flowrdelice ~ 292 Frappamento / Botte ~ 293 Galoppo ~ 294 Meve ~ 294 Meza Ripresa ~ 294 Mezavolta ~ 295 Movimento / Scosso / Squassetto / Meve ~ 296 Passetti ~ 299 Passo ~ 299 Passo falso ~ 300 Passo in traverso ~ 301 Piva ~ 302 Posa / Posada ~ 302 Rak(e) ~ 302 Reprise ~ 303 Retrett ~ 303 Ripresa ~ 303 Riverenza/Reverenza/Reverence and Riverezzetti/Reverenzetti~ 305 Saltarello ~ 305 Salto / Saut / Saltetto~ 306 Scosso~ 307 Sempio / Siempo / Sciempo~ 307 Simple ~ 307 Single ~ 308 Squassetto~ 308 Stop(e) ~ 308 Trace ~ 308 Trapassino ~ 309 Trett ~ 309 Volta ~ 310 Volta del Gioioso ~ 310 Volta di Lasso ~ 311 Volta di Tromboni ~ 313 PART 1d: DANCE TEACHING 315 The Vocation ~ 316 The different sorts of dancing masters ~ 316 The practical importance of the teacher ~ 319 Dance contracts and payments ~ 321 Teaching ~ 323 Dance standards and teacher-student relationships ~ 323 Teaching exercises ~ 326 Matching movement to music ~ 328 Basse dance notation ~ 331 In the Nancy manuscript ~ 331 In late 15th and early 16th century bassedanse manuals ~ 331 In the Cervera manuscript ~ 333 Other notations ~ 334 Beyond notations ~ 334 Anonymous Works ~ 335 The Brussels manuscript ~ 335 The Cervera manuscript ~ 336 The Gresley manuscript ~ 337 The Montefiascone manuscript ~ 337 The Nancy manuscript ~ 338 The Salisbury manuscript ~ 338 The Stribaldi / Torino manuscript ~ 339 Various other manuscripts ~ 339 Authors and their Works ~ 340 Altieri ~ 340 Arena ~ 340 Castiglione ~ 341 Cochläus ~ 341 Coplande ~ 341 Cornazano ~ 342 Domenico ~ 343 Francesco Fineschi ~ 345 Guglielmo ~ 345 ‘Il Papa’ ~ 349 Moderne ~ 350 Pedro de Gracia Dei ~ 351 Toulouze ~ 351 |  Part 2a: Dances in detail A-K (Book 3) Alenchon (1) & (2) ~ 6 Alesandresca ~ 9 Amoroso (for 2) ~ 21 Amoroso (for 3) ~ 27 Amours ~ 30 Anello ~ 33 Angelosa ~ 43 Baramattio ~ 52 Barcelone ~ 57 Bassa Franzesse ~ 59 La Basse de Castille/Spayñ / Bassa et Alta ~ 62 Basse danse communes / Jouissance / Jouyssance vous donneray ~ 85 Beauté de Castille / Bialte di Castiglia ~ 94 Belfiore ~ 104 Belriguardo (for two) ~ 115 Belriguardo Nuovo (for three) ~ 124 Borges ~ 134 Chastelana ~ 137 Che Faralla ~ 143 Chirintana ~ 150 Colonnese ~ 158 Corona ~ 170 La Danse de Cleves ~ 176 Eglamowr ~ 180 Esperans ~ 183 L’Esperance de Bourbon ~ 186 Fiammetta ~ 189 La Figlia Guglielmino (1) ~ 196 La Figlia Guglielmino (2) ~ 204 Filles a marier ~ 215 Fodra ~ 221 Francho cuore gentile ~ 225 La Franchoise nouvelle ~ 228 La Franciosetta ~ 230 Gelosia ~ 237 Gioioso fiorito / Rostiboli Gioioso (2) ~ 250 Gioioso for three / Rostiboli Gioioso (3) ~ 255 Gioliva ~ 263 La Gorrière ~ 273 La Graziosa ~ 276 Grazioso ~ 281 Ingrata ~ 295 Jupiter (1) / Giove ~ 311 Jupiter (2) ~ 331 |  Part 2b: Dances in detail L-Z (Book 4) Lasso ~ 6 Lauro ~ 11 Legiadra ~ 15 Libeaus Desconus ~ 29 Lioncello Nuovo (for three) ~ 32 Lioncello vechio (for two) ~ 45 Malgratiosa ~ 57 Marchesana ~ 60 Mastri di Tromboni ~ 74 Mercantia ~ 82 Mignotta for 2 (Vechia / Nova) or 3 ~ 97 The Nancy ms bassedances ~ 110 Nobile ~ 117 Northumberland ~ 119 La Partita Crudele ~ 123 Pellegrina ~ 134 Petit Rinense ~ 143 Petite Rose ~ 146 Le Petit Rouen (1), (2) & (3) ~ 153 Pizochara ~ 157 Prenes a gard ~ 163 Prenes on gre ~ 167 Prigionera ~ 171 Reale (1) ~ 184 La Reale (2) ~ 191 Rostiboli Gioioso ~ 196 Sobria ~ 216 Spero ~ 227 Talbott ~ 239 La Tantaine ~ 242 Temperans ~ 244 Tesara ~ 248 La Traditora ~ 259 Venus ~ 265 Verçepe ~ 274 Villanella (1) ~ 283 La Vita di Cholino (for 2) ~ 290 La Vita di Cholino (for 3) ~ 294 Voltati in ça Rosina / Rossina ~ 303 Whatsoever ye wyll ~ 308 |
Books & CDs >
Dancing through the Ages 1400-1550
Dancing through the Ages is an 10,800 page work offering background on, reconstruction of, and chorded music for nearly 1,000 dances from between from 1400 to 1900, as well as extensive notes analysing links between these dances, the evolution of dance forms, movement ideas and notation systems through this 500 period, and the changing nature of ball culture and dance sources in countries across the old and new word. The whole is supported by thousands of quotations, diagrams and illustrations from original sources.
The work is broken into 31 books, each of between 300 and 460 (average 350) double-sided A4 pages. After the 'Orientation and Overview' book 1, the work is organised into ten 'Volumes', each of 3 books.
Each 3-book Volume is devoted to a particular period and consists of 1,000 plus pages of research, discussion, analysis, illustrations, musical scores, dance reconstructions, source extracts, transcriptions and translations. The first book (Part 1a-d) looks at dancing in general (the social, political and geographic contexts in which dance and the institution of the ball was evolving; the nature and evolution of the period’s main forms of dance; dance elements such as style, etiquette, honours, holds, formations, figures and steps; developments in dance teaching, notation and publication, and period-relevant primary sources (including little known ones). The second and third books (Part 2a and Part 2b respectively) offer sources and music for, and reconstructions and analysis of dozens of dances from the relevant period, presented in alphabetic order.
To order any or all of the books in this 31-book series go to (PUBLISHER's WEBSITE ORDER PAGE LINK TO APPEAR HERE END SEPTEMBER 2020 when grand work is finally available!). The books are AUS$35 each (approximately US$25), plus postage which will diminish with the more books in your order. As your books will be sent from the nearest Lulu printer on your continent, you will not be paying for overseas shipping and will not be waiting long for the books to arrive. Orders are normally filled at local postage rates within a week.
N.B. I recommend that in addition to ordering the books pertaining to the period you first think of, you also order books from the adjacent period collections plus the invaluable Book 1: 'Orientation and Overview'. Indeed, because of the interconnectivity of dance over the 500 years covered by this series (and the cross-referencing between books in the series), I highly recommend the full set!
If you are able to collect from our home in Canberra Australia, I may be able to offer you a special no-postage price on a full-set. Phone 62811098 or email us.
Below are the front covers and contents of the three books that constitute Volume I in the series.
