Shakespeare and Music Part 19

The French ladies here recommend their runaway husbands and brothers to cross the Channel and try to earn a living by teaching French dances to the stately English. Probably the "English dancing-schools"

in those days would think the solemn walk of the Pavan quite as lively an amus.e.m.e.nt as good society could allow. There are other pa.s.sages too which show that Shakespeare (or his characters) had a fine 'insular'

feeling against these 'newfangled' fas.h.i.+ons from France.

_H. 5._ III, v, 32.

_Bourbon_ (Speaks of the mocking French ladies).

They bid us to the _English dancing-schools_, And teach _lavoltas high_, and _swift corantos_; Saying, our grace is only in our heels, And that we are most lofty runaways.

NOTE ON ARBEAU'S 'ORCHeSOGRAPHIE,' 1588.

This interesting book on the Art of Dancing was published at Macon [Transcriber's Note: corrected from Macon] in 1588. [The date on the t.i.tle page is 1589.] The author was Jehan Tabourot, but his real name does not appear in the work, being anagrammatised into Thoinot Arbeau; and under the guise of Arbeau he is best known.

The treatise is written (like Morley's Introduction to Practical Music) in the form of Dialogue between Master (Arbeau) and Pupil (Capriol); and gives a most clear description of all the fas.h.i.+onable dances of the time, as far as words can do it; dance tunes in music type; and incidentally, many instructions as to the manners of good society.

As much light is thrown upon the dances which are mentioned in Shakespeare by this book, some of the princ.i.p.al descriptions will be given here, with the proper music.

On p. 25, Capriol (the Pupil) asks his Master (Arbeau) to describe the steps of the 'ba.s.se' dance. This was the 'danse par bas, ou sans sauter,' which was of the 15th century, was in triple time, and contained three parts, A, ba.s.se dance; B, Retour de la ba.s.se dance; C, Tordion. This 3rd part, or tordion, 'n'est aultre chose qu'une gaillarde _par terre_'; _i.e._, the Tordion of a Ba.s.se dance was simply a Galliard _par terre_, without the leaping or 'Sault majeur.'

Before Arbeau answers his pupil, he gives him some preliminary instruction as to the etiquette of the ball room. He says--'In the first place ... you should choose some virtuous damsel whose appearance pleases you (telle que bon vous semblera), take off your hat or cap in your left hand, and tender her your right hand to lead her out to dance. She, being modest and well brought up, will give you her left hand, and rise to follow you. Then conduct her to the end of the room, face each the other, and tell the band to play a ba.s.se dance. For if you do not, they may inadvertently play some other kind of dance. And when they begin to play, you begin to dance.'

_Capriol._ If the lady should refuse, I should feel dreadfully ashamed.

_Arbeau._ A properly educated young lady NEVER refuses one who does her the honour to lead her out to the dance. If she does, she is accounted foolish (sotte), for if she doesn't want to dance, what is she sitting there for amongst the rest?

The Master then gives his pupil an account of the ba.s.se dance, the 1st and 2nd parts of which are composed of various arrangements of the following movements--

1. La reverence, marked with a big R.

2. Le branle (_not_ the dance of that name), marked with b.

3. Deux simples, marked ss.

4. Le double, marked d.

5. La reprise, marked with a little r.

The 'chanson'--_i.e._, the dance tune, was played on the flute, and accompanied by the 'tabourin' or drum, which beats all the time. Every 'bar' of the music is called either a 'battement' of the drum, or a 'mesure' of the chanson.

Now Arbeau explains the steps and time of each of the above five movements.

1. R. This takes four bars. Begin with left foot forward, and in doing the reverence, half turn your body and face towards the Damoiselle, and cast on her 'un gracieux regard.'

2. b.[21] Also takes four bars. Keep the feet joined together, then for the 1st bar, swing the body gently to the left side; 2nd bar, swing to the right, while gazing modestly upon 'les a.s.sistants;' 3rd bar, swing again to the left; and for the 4th bar, swing to the right side, looking on the Damoiselle with an 'oeillade defrobee, doulcement et discretement.'

[Footnote 21: The branle (not the dance, but as used here) is called _Congedium_ by Anthoine Arena. Arbeau thinks because the dancer appears about to take leave of his partner--_i.e._, _prendre conge_.

See Hen. VIII., IV. ii. l. 82, stage direction, 'congee.']

3. ss. 1st bar, left foot forward; 2nd bar, bring right foot up to the said left foot; 3rd bar, advance the right foot; 4th bar, join the left foot to the said right foot; et ainsi sera parfaict le mouvement des deux simples.

N.B.--Always suit the length of your steps to the size of the room, and the convenience of the Damoiselle, who cannot with modesty take such big steps as you can.

4. d. 1st bar, advance left foot; and, advance right foot; 3rd, advance left foot; 4th, join right to left. For _two_ doubles (dd) do it over again, but contrariwise, beginning with the Right foot. For _three_ doubles (ddd), the form of the third will be, 1st bar, advance left foot; 2nd, advance right foot; 3rd, advance left foot; 4th, 'puis tumbera pieds joincts comme a este faict au premier double.' And thus (he carefully adds) the three doubles are achieved in 12 'battements et mesures du tabourin.'

5. The Reprise (r) is commonly found before the branle (b), and sometimes before the double (d) [see the Memoires]. In it you have to cultivate a certain movement of the knees, or feet, or 'les artoils seullement,' as if your feet were shaking under you. 1st bar, 'les artoils' of the right foot; 2nd bar, do.; 3rd bar, of the left foot; 4th, of the right foot again.

The _Memoire_ of the movements of the ba.s.se dance--_i.e._, its first Part, is--

R b ss d r | d r b ss ddd r d r b | ss d r b C.

The C means the 'conge,' or 'leave' which you must take of the Damoiselle, salute her, and keep hold of her hand, and lead her back to where you began, in order to dance the Second Part--namely, the Retour de la ba.s.se dance, the _Memoire_ for which is--

b | d r b ss ddd r d r b | C.

[The nine movements enclosed between the upright lines, are the same in both parts].

Capriol now remarks that he has been counting up, and finds that the music of the _ba.s.se dance_ proper (part 1) has 20 'fours' (vingt quaternions), and the _retour_ (part 2) has 12 'fours.'

Arbeau then describes the Tordion, which is Part 3 of the ba.s.se dance.

He says it is still in triple time, but 'plus legiere et concitee,'

and does not consist of 'simples, doubles, reprises,' etc., like the first and second parts, but is danced almost exactly as a Galliard, except that it is _par terre_--_i.e._, without any capers, and low on the ground, with a quick and light step; whereas the Galliard is danced _high_, with a slower and weightier 'mesure.'

He gives the following tune, which will fit to _any_ of the innumerable diversities of Galliard. If played fast, it is a Tordion, if slower, a Galliard. [There are, of course, no bars in the original.]

TORDION OR GALLIARD (CINQUEPACE).

[Music]

Here are the Steps of the Galliard, consisting of five movements of the feet, and the caper, or 'sault majeur.' The five steps give the Galliard the name of Cinque pas.

1. Greve gaulche. ['Greve' is explained as a 'coup de pied.']

2. Greve droicte.

3. " gaulche.

4. " droicte.

5. Sault majeur.

6. Posture gaulche.

1, 2, 3, 4, 6 are the 'Cinq' pas, and 5 is the characteristic leap or caper.

The next six minims are danced to the Revers, which is just the same, except that the words 'right' and 'left' (_droicte_ and _gaulche_) change places all the way down. Then repeat till the tune is finished.

Arbeau gives several other varieties of Galliard, and another very good tune for it, called

'ANTHOINETTE.' GALLIARD.