by Geoffrey Matthias
[Editor's Note: This article was written several years ago, and therefore lacks a few articles and books that have since been published.]
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Introduction |
This article is intended to provide more information about the primary dance sources which are available to us for the reconstruction of early dance. Each entry consists of a bibliographic reference for the source and any modern reprints and/or translations in which it may be available, and a short discussion of the contents of the source and its usefulness to SCA dance historians and dance reconstructors. The bibliography is based on one which was created by Patri du Chat Gris several years ago, and I am indebted to him for allowing me to use it, as well as for the use of his library. I believe that every existing primary source is referenced in this bibliography, although I may have missed reprints of some of them, particularly more recent reprints. In cases where there are two or more similar reprints or facsimiles of the same work, I have included only the one which I believe to be the more readily available. In cases where there is an older edition which includes a translation (or some other valuable feature) but is no longer as available as a more recent facsimile, I have included references for both. |
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Format |
The format of this article follows the outline below. I. Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Century Sources A. Italian Sources B. French/Burgundian Sources C. English Sources D. Spanish Sources E. German Sources II. Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Century Sources A. Italian Sources B. French/Burgundian Sources C. English Sources D. Spanish Sources E. German Sources |
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Time Periods |
Section I covers manuals which date from approximately 1450-1550, while Section II covers those which date from 1550-1650. These dates were chosen to reflect the difference in dance styles which existed during these periods. For instance, while Arbeau discusses Basse Dances, most of the sources for that style of dance fall in the earlier period (and there is evidence that Arbeau's Basse Dance is different from those which were done in the previous century). The separation by country is partly arbitrary, but also partly because of stylistic differences. An example is the difference between the Italian and Burgundian sources which deal with Basse Dances during the first period. The Italian sources give dances which are much more free form, and require many more kinds of steps than do the Burgundian sources, which mainly give simple formulas for dances. |
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