Ballo
Encyclopedia
The Ballo was an Italian dance form during the fifteenth century, most noted for its frequent changes of tempo and meter.
Balli were written by various composers, primarily the dance masters Domenico da Piacenza
and Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro
who also wrote treatises including choreographies to their works.
Domenico wrote of the balli as dealing with four misure:
genre of the ballo, which was enlarged to include vocal numbers by such composers as Monteverdi; Il ballo delle ingrate
, and Francesco Lambardi
; Una festa a ballo.
Dance of the 15th Century
During the QuattrocentoQuattrocento
The cultural and artistic events of 15th century Italy are collectively referred to as the Quattrocento...
Balli were written by various composers, primarily the dance masters Domenico da Piacenza
Domenico da Piacenza
Domenico da Piacenza was an Italian Renaissance dancing master. Domenico da Piacenza was born sometime around 1400 in Piacenza, where he grew up and began teaching dance...
and Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro
Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro
Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro was an Italian dancing-master; flourished in the fifteenth century at Pesaro.His master was Domenico di Ferrara, in whose Liber Ballorum he is mentioned. Guglielmo himself wrote a treatise on dancing, Trattato dell' Arte del Ballare, edited by F. Zambrini, Bologna, 1873;...
who also wrote treatises including choreographies to their works.
Domenico wrote of the balli as dealing with four misure:
- The Bassadanza, from the basse danseBasse danseThe basse danse, or "low dance", was the most popular court dance in the 15th and early 16th centuries, especially at the Burgundian court, often in a combination of 6/4 and 3/2 time allowing for use of hemiola...
, consisting of what would now be labeled as a slow 6/4 or 3/2 - The Quadernaria, one-sixth faster than the Bassadanza
- The Saltarello, two-sixths faster than the Bassadanza
- The Piva, twice as fast as the Bassadanza http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0306-1078(198608)14%3A3%3C346%3AT1%22TAN%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Y
The baroque ballo
The Renaissance dance should be distinguished from the early baroqueBaroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
genre of the ballo, which was enlarged to include vocal numbers by such composers as Monteverdi; Il ballo delle ingrate
Il ballo delle ingrate
Il ballo delle ingrate is a semi-dramatic ballet by the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi with words by Ottavio Rinuccini. It was first performed in Mantua on Wednesday 4 June, 1608 as part of the wedding celebrations for Francesco Gonzaga and Margaret of Savoy...
, and Francesco Lambardi
Francesco Lambardi
Francesco Lambardi was a Neapolitan baroque composer who participated in the staging of feste a ballo with Giovanni Maria Trabaci. He was born in Naples.-References:...
; Una festa a ballo.
Further reading
- Guglielmo Ebreo. De Pratica Seu Arte Tripudii: "On the Practice or Art of Dancing" (ISBN 978-0198165743)
- Domenico da Piacenza. De Arte Saltandi et Choreas Ducendi