Tourdion
Encyclopedia
Tourdion (from the french verb "tordre" / to twist) is a lively dance, similar in nature to the Galliard
, and popular from the mid 15th to the late 16th centuries, first in the Burgundian court
and then all over the French Kingdom. The dance was accompanied frequently by the basse danse
, due to their contrasting tempi, and were danced alongside the Pavane
and Galliard, and the Allemande
and Courante
, also in pairs.http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-15700/Western-music#363047.hook
In a triple meter, the Tourdion's relation to the Galliard was described as being "more rapid and smooth than the other". Pierre Attaingnant
popularized the Tourdion in his first publication of assembled dances in 1530, containing a famous Tourdion based on a melody entitled "La Magdalena", preserved now in "The Attaingnant Dance Prints". Later, Tourdion "La Magdalena" was arranged into a four voices song "Quand je bois du vin clairet" by an anonymous. Thoinot Arbeau
later documented information about the Tourdion in his work Orchésographie (Orchesography), published in 1589. http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://graner.net/nicolas/arbeau/&prev=/search%3Fq%3DTourdion%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN
The step is repeated as a pied en l'air gauche, with the left foot kicked into the air and a slight hop to land upon the right. The two steps are then repeated, with care that the kicks are small (as the dance is brisk). Following the four kicks, one performs a saut moyen- a small jump into the air that pulls the feet into the posture gauche or droit- whichever is the opposite of the first. This combination of the saunt moyen and the posture is typically called a cadence.
The process repeats, mirrored to reflect the new starting posture, until the song ends.http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/lod/vol1/galliardintro.html
Galliard
The galliard was a form of Renaissance dance and music popular all over Europe in the 16th century. It is mentioned in dance manuals from England, France, Spain, Germany and Italy, among others....
, and popular from the mid 15th to the late 16th centuries, first in the Burgundian court
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
and then all over the French Kingdom. The dance was accompanied frequently by the basse danse
Basse danse
The 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...
, due to their contrasting tempi, and were danced alongside the Pavane
Pavane
The pavane, pavan, paven, pavin, pavian, pavine, or pavyn is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century .A pavane is a slow piece of music which is danced to in pairs....
and Galliard, and the Allemande
Allemande
An allemande is one of the most popular instrumental dance forms in Baroque music, and a standard element of a suite...
and Courante
Courante
The courante, corrente, coranto and corant are some of the names given to a family of triple metre dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era....
, also in pairs.http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-15700/Western-music#363047.hook
In a triple meter, the Tourdion's relation to the Galliard was described as being "more rapid and smooth than the other". Pierre Attaingnant
Pierre Attaingnant
Pierre Attaingnant was a French music printer, active in Paris.-Life:Attaingnant is considered to be first large-scale publisher of single-impression movable type for music-printing, thus making it possible to print faster and cheaper than predecessors such as Ottaviano Petrucci...
popularized the Tourdion in his first publication of assembled dances in 1530, containing a famous Tourdion based on a melody entitled "La Magdalena", preserved now in "The Attaingnant Dance Prints". Later, Tourdion "La Magdalena" was arranged into a four voices song "Quand je bois du vin clairet" by an anonymous. Thoinot Arbeau
Thoinot Arbeau
Thoinot Arbeau is the anagrammatic pen name of French cleric Jehan Tabourot . Tabourot is most famous for his Orchésographie, a study of late sixteenth-century French Renaissance social dance...
later documented information about the Tourdion in his work Orchésographie (Orchesography), published in 1589. http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://graner.net/nicolas/arbeau/&prev=/search%3Fq%3DTourdion%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN
Dance Elements
Nearly all variations on the dance are based upon the simple Cinq Pas (Five Step) Tourdion. The Cinq Pas begins in either a posture droit or posture gauche (the former with the right foot slightly in front, the latter with the left), with weight evenly distributed between the feet. Assuming a posture gauche, a pied en l'air droit and a petit saut follow in one beat, that is, a small kick of the right foot into the air at the same time as a slight hop as to land with the left foot. (It should be remembered that all pied en l'air are accompanied by the petit saut of the opposite foot).The step is repeated as a pied en l'air gauche, with the left foot kicked into the air and a slight hop to land upon the right. The two steps are then repeated, with care that the kicks are small (as the dance is brisk). Following the four kicks, one performs a saut moyen- a small jump into the air that pulls the feet into the posture gauche or droit- whichever is the opposite of the first. This combination of the saunt moyen and the posture is typically called a cadence.
The process repeats, mirrored to reflect the new starting posture, until the song ends.http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/lod/vol1/galliardintro.html