Dancing through the Ages 1550-1600

Dancing through the Ages (October, 2020) is a 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 LULU. The books are AUS$36 each (approximately US$27), 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!

When on the LULU Spotlight page, in order to view the books in the order in which they appear in the series select 'Sort by Publication Date Ascending'

Below are the front covers and contents of the three books that constitute Volume II in the series

Part 1: Dance in general   (Book 5)

PART 1a: DANCE CONTEXT ~ 8

Italy ~ 10

Dance in the literary work of Corso, Calmo and others ~ 10

Dance described in diaries of the 1580s and 90s ~ 12

Sources on theatrical dance ~ 12

Domestic dance ~ 14

Dance publications of Compasso, Lutti and Caroso~ 15

Spain ~ 17

Spanish dance in literature and art~ 17

Spanish language dance texts ~ 19

France ~ 21

Dance under Catherine de Medici, as queen consort, mother and regent ~ 21

The 1565 Bayonne pageant ~ 22

Jacques Tahureau’s 1565 dialogue ~ 24

Court ballets in the early 1570s—including the Ballet des Polonais  ~ 26

Court ballets under Henry III & Henry IV~ 28

The 1581 balet comique de la royne and subsequent ball ~ 30

Dance metaphors in Ronsard’s poems ~ 34

Dance in country homes and villages according to Bach, Tucarro and Gauchet ~ 36

Arbeau and the dance of towns and universities ~ 37

Arbeau and the elevation of social dance ~ 40

England ~ 43

Courtly expectation ~ 43

Queen Elizabeth’s support for dance ~ 45

Jones and Mullcaster on dancing’s health benefits ~ 46

Continental connections ~ 49

Gascoigne’s English view of French dance ~ 49

Lupold von Wedel account of a Greenwich court dance in 1584 ~ 52

Dancing at the Inns of Court ~ 53

The dances described in Inns of Court manuscripts ~ 55

Collier’s Inns of Court dance source and the Dulwich manuscript~ 56

John Davies’s dancing metaphors ~ 65

John Davies’ dance references~ 72

Dance on stage ~ 74

Beyond court and stage ~ 77

Dance and the puritans ~ 80

Scotland and Wales ~ 83

Scotland ~ 83

Wales ~ 84

Germany and the Low Countries ~ 88

Germany ~ 88

The Low Countries~ 96

Central Europe ~ 99

 

PART 1b: DANCE FORMS 102

Introductory note and table ~ 103

Dances from Italian and French sources in Volumes II ~ 104

Almain ~ 108

Germany and the Lowlands ~ 108

A possible proto-Almain? ~ 113

Its introduction to France ~ 121

Its nature according to Arbeau ~ 122

Its introduction to England ~ 124

Its nature in England according to contemporary texts ~ 124

Its relationship with the Pavan ~ 126

The difference between the Arbeau’s Allemande and the Inns of Court Almain ~ 127

The Basse dance and country dance influences on the English Almain ~ 129

The relationship between the Almain with the earlier German peasant dance ~ 129

The relationship between the Almain with the later ‘Allemande’ ~ 131

Ballo / Balleto ~ 132

Basse dance ~ 134

Surviving as a dance in own right ~ 134

Surviving in the pavan ~ 136

Surviving in the basse and alta combination ~ 138

Surviving in the bassa-named Italian balli ~ 138

Branles ~ 140

Origin ~ 140

In Arbeau ~ 141

The mechanism ~ 142

In other sources and milieu ~ 143

Canary / Canario ~ 146

Origins ~ 146

In Spain ~ 147

In Italy ~ 147

In France ~ 148

In England ~ 149

Cascarda / Saltarello ~ 150

Origin ~ 150

Structure ~ 151

Country Dance ~ 157

Courante ~ 161

The Egg dance ~ 162

Galliard ~ 167

The craze ~ 167

As a pavan afterdance ~ 169

As a conclusion to the Old Measures ~ 169

Galliards in balli ~ 170

The Galliard according to Lutio Compasso ~ 175

The Galliard according to Evangelista Papazzone ~ 177

Depictions ~ 180

Gavotte ~ 184

Measure / Measures ~ 185

Passo e mezzo ~ 189

Pavan ~ 191

The pavan in France, England and Italy ~ 191

The pavan in illustrations ~ 194

The Spanish Pavan ~ 195

The Tordion / Tourdion / Tordiglione ~ 199

Informal late-evening relay-mixers, circles and long dances ~ 201

Propensities ~ 201

Mechanism and figure ideas ~ 202

Table of propensities and ideas in informal late-evening dances ~ 204

Further observations on the relay mixer ~ 205

Sword and stick dances ~ 208

Torneo ~ 212

Volta ~ 213

 

PART 1c:    DANCE ELEMENTS 220

Style ~ 221

Gratia, agiltà and timing ~ 221

‘Peacocking’ ~ 223

Distinguishing gender presentations ~ 223

Arms and shoulders ~ 224

Variety ~ 225

Etiquette ~ 226

The man’s cloak, sword and hat ~ 227

The lady’s train ~ 229

Kissing ~ 230

Honours ~ 233

Riverenza grave / Reverence ~ 233

Briefer honours ~ 236

Holds and Positions ~ 239

Pieds joints ~ 239

Pieds largi ~ 240

Posture ~ 241

Hands ~ 242

Formations ~ 246

Couple ~ 246

Trio facing up~ 246

Couple facing couple ~ 246

3-facing-3~ 247

Circles ~ 247

Longways for 3 ~ 247

Longways for 4 or more couples ~ 247

Squares ~ 247

Other formations ~ 247

Orientations ~ 248

capo/piè del ballo ~ 248

mano ordinario ~ 248

intorno / attorno ~ 248

alla destra / sinistra ~ 248

al filo / in fila~ 248

passaggeio ~ 248

Figures ~ 249

Promenading to gypsying to single hand turns to two hand turns ~ 249

Going from side-by-side to man being above and woman below ~ 249

Following the feigning with the full ~ 250

Snaking, weaving, moving in a braid ~ 250

Men then women teasing, departing, circling and chasing ~ 250

1st then 2nd then 3rd do figure ~ 251

Taking turn leading the dance ~ 251

Jousting-like passing through ~ 251

The ‘reverse S’ ~ 252

The regarding of the woman ~ 252

Fall back with two steps then meet with a double ~ 252

Set and turn single ~ 252

Steps ~ 254

In general ~ 254

Balzetto ~ 257

Battuto ~ 257

Branle ~ 258

Cadenza / Cadence ~ 259

Cambio ~ 260

Campanella ~ 260

Caprioles ~ 261

Congé ~ 263

Continenza ~ 263

Coup de pied / Grève ~ 264

Costatetto ~ 265

Courante, pas de la ~ 265

Doppio / Double ~ 267

Entretaille ~ 268

Finto / Finta ~ 268

Fioretto ~ 270

Gagliarda / Galliard / Galliarde ~ 272

Grève ~ 273

Groppo ~ 273

Marque pied / marque talon ~ 274

Molinello ~ 275

Passi gravi / presti / larghi and in gagliarda~ 276

Petit saut ~ 277

Pied croisé ~ 278

Pied en l’air~ 278

Pirlotto ~ 279

Punta e Calcagno ~ 280

Puntata ~ 280

Recacciata ~ 281

Ripresa ~ 281

Reprise ~ 282

Ritirata ~ 283

Ruade ~ 283

Ru de vache ~ 284

Salto ~ 285

Saute majeur / grand saut ~ 286

Scambiata ~ 286

Schisciato ~ 288

Scorsi ~ 288

Seguito doppio ~ 289

Seguito ordinario ~ 289

Seguito semidoppio ~ 290

Seguito spezzato ~ 291

Seguito spezzato schisciato ~ 291

Simple ~ 292

Sottopiede ~ 292

Spezzato ~ 293

Trabuchetto ~ 294

Trango / Trangato ~ 295

Trito minuto ~ 296

Tremolanti ~ 297

Zoppetto~ 298

 

PART 1d:    DANCE TEACHING 299

Publications ~ 301

Calling ~ 303

The Importance of Instruction ~ 304

Anonymous works ~ 305

The Chigi manuscript ~ 305

Inns of Court manuscripts ~ 305

Instruction pour dancer manuscript ~ 307

Reglas de danzar ~ 307

Authors and their works ~ 308

Arbeau ~ 308

Caroso~ 309

Compasso ~ 310

Corso ~ 311

Davies ~ 311

Lutii ~ 311

Negri ~ 312

Papazzone ~ 312

Tahureau ~ 313

Part 2a: Dances in detail A-E   (Book 6)

Alba Novella ~ 6

Allegrezza d’Amore ~ 13

Allemande (1) ~ 27

Alta Regina ~ 33

Alta Vittoria ~ 43

Ballo del Fiore (1) ~ 58

Ballo del Fiore (2) / Branle du Chandelier (2) ~ 62

Barriera ~ 75

Barriera nuova ~ 97

Bassa Ducale ~ 110

Bassa Toscana ~ 116

Bella Gioiosa ~ 122

Bellezze d’Olimpia (1) ~ 128

Black Almain ~ 134

La Bonnette ~ 141

Les Bouffons ~ 143

Branle de Bretaigne / Triory de Bretagne ~ 160

Branle d’Ecosse ~ 168

Branle de la Haye ~ 171

Branle de la Montarde ~ 175

Branle de Malte ~ 179

Branle de Montirande ~ 184

Branle de Poitou (1) ~ 189

Branle des Chevaux (1) & (2) ~ 192

Branle du Chandelier (1) ~ 195

Branle du Haut Barrois ~ 199

Branle l’Officiel ~ 203

Branles—Cassandre, Pinagay ~ 206

Branles—Charlotte, de la Guerre, Aridan ~ 209

Branles—mimed suite ~ 216

Branles—opening suite (1) ~ 225

La Caccia d’Amore (1) ~ 231

Canario (1) ~ 233

La Castellana ~ 243

Cecilia Pavan / Cicilia Pavyon ~ 247

La Chemise / Lasche Mys ~ 250

Chiaranzana ~ 252

Chiaranzana / Catena / Caccia medley ~ 261

Chiara Stella ~ 263

Contentezza d’Amore ~ 267

Il Conto dell’Orco ~ 274

Contrapasso (1) ~ 279

Contrapasso (2) ~ 284

Coranto d’Espagne ~ 298

La Courante (1) / The Old Courante / La Boèsme ~ 304

La Courante (2), the new / La Corrente ~ 315

La Damoiselle / La down sella ~ 320

Dolce Amoroso Foco ~ 322

Part 2b: Dances in detail F-Z   (Book 7)

Fedeltà ~ 7

Fiamma d’amore ~ 10

Florido Giglio ~ 14

Fulgente Stella ~ 21

Furioso (1) & (2) ~ 26

La Gagliarda di Spagna (1) ~ 41

Galliard (1) – basic sequences ~ 49

Galliard (2) – fancier sequences ~ 70

Gavotte (1) ~ 90

Gloria d’Amore ~ 94

Gracca Amorosa ~ 98

Leggiadria d’Amore ~ 103

Leggiadra Ninfa ~ 108

The Longe Pavian ~ 113

Lorayne Allemayne ~ 115

Lucretia ~ 118

Madam Cecilia Almain ~ 127

Maraviglia d’Amore ~ 134

The Nyne Muses ~ 139

The Old Measures ~ 146

Passo e mezo ~ 170

The Pavan ~ 192

Pavaniglia / Spanish Pavan (1) ~ 202

Pavan Matthei ~ 238

Piantone ~ 246

Pungente Dardo (1) ~ 259

Spagnoletta (1) ~ 264

Spagnoletta Nuova ~ 273

Squilina ~ 277

Tordiglione – Caroso’s ~ 286

Torneo Amoroso (1) ~ 299

Villanella (2) ~ 307

La Volta ~ 311