[ This article appeared in volume 2 of the Letter of Dance. ]
Leggiadria d'Amore is from the first of the sixteenth-century Italian dance treatises, Il Ballarino (Venice, 1581) by Fabritio Caroso. Unlike most balletti, it is entirely in duple meter, with no gagliarda or other triple-time dance included in it. It is also unusual in being choreographed for three dancers, rather than a couple. This dance was reconstructed as an entry for the Middle Kingdom Arts and Sciences Competition in the spring of 1990 by Lady Urraca de Gamboa, using a facsimile of the original. The other two dancers were Master Siôn Andreas o Wynnedd and Lady Lilias Moira. We know of no other reconstruction of this choreography. The music we used came from Homage to Amor; Sixteenth Century Dances of Love (a cassette tape privately produced by Angene Feves) which is arranged for mixed ensemble from the lute tabulature in the original.
Riverenza: In the first beat, stand with the left foot forward. In the second beat, draw the left foot straight back, keeping both knees straight and shifting the weight to the back foot. In the third beat, lower the body, bending the knees. In the fourth beat, rise, bringing the left foot even with the right.
Continenza: Step to the left four inches, then bring the heel of the right foot to touch the middle of the left foot. While stepping sideways, lower the body a little, then rise up, "peacocking" a little in the direction in which you are moving.
Passo: One walking step per beat, with the toes straight ahead and the knees straight. One ends with one's weight on the leading foot, not bringing the trailing foot forward to close.
Passo presto: As above, but in half the time.
Seguito ordinario: Three steps in four beats, so that one pauses for the last beat, not bringing the trailing foot forward to close. (We did these as natural steps, rather than on tiptoe.)
Seguito spezzato: In the first beat, step forward with the left foot, placing it flat on the ground. In the first half of the second beat, bring the right foot close to the heel of the left, rising on both toes. In the second half of the second beat, lower the left heel, leaving the right heel raised.
Seguito scorso: Eight small tiptoe steps in four beats, very quickly with the body straight.
Cadenza: Lifting the left foot forward, jump up, pulling the left foot behind, and land with both feet on the floor, right foot in front and left foot behind.
Campanella: Hopping up and down on one foot, swing the other foot back and forth like the clapper of a bell, keeping the leg straight.
Trabuchetto: Make a small jump to the left, landing on the toe of the left foot, bringing the right foot next to it without touching the right foot to the ground, taking care to "peacock" a bit.
Trabuchetto a piede pari (trabuchetto on equal feet): This term is not defined anywhere. "On equal feet" seems to imply landing on both feet, rather than with the rocking motion of the usual trabuchetto. Since this dance repeatedly refers to it ending "with the right flank behind", we have chosen to interpret it as a small jump, making a quarter turn in the air and landing on both feet.
This dance is done by a trio: & the people stand, as in the picture for the Cascarda Squilina, & taking hands, they will do together the Riverenza, with two Continenze, one to the left, & the other to the right: then releasing hands, they will turn [in] two Seguiti to the left.
In the second verse, they will progress with four Seguiti ordinarii, turning together at the last of these. then they will do a Seguito spezzato with the left [foot] forward, two Passi presti beginning with the right, the Cadenza, two beats of Campanelle with the same foot, & one Trabuchetto a piede pari with the right flank in back.
In the third verse, the man solo will do three Seguiti ordinarii: at the last of which he will situate himself facing the ladies, beginning the Seguiti with the left foot, & the trabuchetti with the right. Together then they will do a Seguito spezzato with the left foot forward: two Passi presti, & the Cadenza, beginning with the right: two beats of Campanelle with the said foot, & a Trabuchetto backward a piede pari. standing with the right flank on the outside.
In the fourth verse, the ladies will do the same variation that the man shall have done; then they will continue doing together the other things that follow in the said variation, said above.
In the fifth verse, the man will begin to do the hey, doing three Seguiti scorsi: & each one coming together at their place, they will do three trabuchetti facing, beginning with the right with the same variation as above, thus a Seguito spezzato with the left [foot] forward, two Passi presti, & the Cadenza, beginning with the right: two beats of Campanelle with the said foot, & a Trabuchetto a piede pari with the right flank in back.
In the sixth verse, they will take hands in a wheel, & they will do together two Passi, & a Seguito to the left, beginning with the left foot: the same they will do to the right, beginning with the right [foot]: then releasing hands, they will do two Seguiti spezzati flankingly backward, beginning with the left, & two Trabuchetti gravi a piede pari, one to the left, & the other to the right.
In the last verse, they will do together three Seguiti, one forward, one backward, & the last turning to the left with three Trabuchetti facing; the man will be able to turn [with] two Seguiti to the left hand; & the ladies will do two others scorsi, putting the man in the middle, as they did in the beginning; Finally, with the Riverenza they will finish the dance.
Leggiadria d'Amore (from Il Ballarino by Fabritio Caroso, pp. 101-2)
For three, two ladies and a man
(bar = 2/2)
| strain | bar | steps | figure |
| A | 1-4 | Riverenza | holding hands in a line |
| 7-8 | Continenza left & right | " | |
| B | 1-4 | Seguito Ordinario left & right | turning in place over the left shoulder |
| ---- | |||
| A | 1-6 | 3 Seguiti Ordinarii (lrl) | progressing |
| 7-8 | Seguito Ordinario right | making a half turn to the right | |
| B | 1 | Seguito Spezzato left | forward |
| 2 | Passo presto (r&l), Cadenza | " | |
| 3 | 2 Battute di Campanelle | with the right foot | |
| 4 | Trabuchetto a piede pari | with the right flank behind | |
| ---- | |||
| A | 1-4 | Seguito Ordinario left & right | man solo progressing |
| 5-6 | Seguito Ordinario left | turning to face the ladies | |
| 7-8 | 3 Trabuchetti (rlr) | facing the ladies | |
| B | 1 | Seguito Spezzato left | everyone forward |
| 2 | Passo presto (r&l), Cadenza | " | |
| 3 | 2 Battute di Campanelle | with the right foot | |
| 4 | Trabuchetto a piede pari | with the right flank behind | |
| ---- | |||
| A | 1-4 | Seguito Ordinario left & right | ladies solo progressing |
| 5-6 | Seguito Ordinario left | turning to face the man | |
| 7-8 | 3 Trabuchetti (rlr) | facing the man | |
| B | 1 | Seguito Spezzato left | everyone forward |
| 2 | Passo presto (r&l), Cadenza | " | |
| 3 | 2 Battute di Campanelle | with the right foot | |
| 4 | Trabuchetto a piede pari | with the right flank behind | |
| ---- | |||
| A | 1-6 | 3 Seguiti Scorsi | hey -- man starts |
| 7-8 | 3 Trabuchetti (rlr) | facing | |
| B | 1 | Seguito Spezzato left | forward |
| 2 | Passo presto (r&l), Cadenza | " | |
| 3 | 2 Battute di Campanelle | with the right foot | |
| 4 | Trabuchetto a piede pari | with the right flank behind | |
| ---- | |||
| A | 1-2 | Passo left & right | holding hands in a circle, circling left |
| 3-4 | Seguito Ordinario left | " | |
| 5-6 | Passo right & left | holding hands in a circle, circling right | |
| 7-8 | Seguito Ordinario right | " (release hands at end) | |
| B | 1-2 | Seguito Spezzato left & right | flankingly backward |
| 3-4 | Trabuchetto left & right | facing; end with both feet on ground | |
| ---- | |||
| A | 1-2 | Seguito Ordinario left | forward |
| 3-4 | Seguito Ordinario right | backward | |
| 5-6 | Seguito Ordinario left | turning over left shoulder | |
| 7-8 | 3 Trabuchetti (rlr) | facing | |
| B | 1-4 | Seguito Ordinario left & right | man 1 1/2 turns over left shoulder WHILE |
| B | 1-4 | Seguito Scorso left & right | ladies, moving to their original places |
| (Riverenza) |
From Msser Fabritio Caroso's il Ballarino (Venice, 1581)
Notated by Messer Sion Andreas o Wynedd c. AS XXVI (1992)
Caroso da Sermoneta, Fabritio. Il Ballarino. Venice, 1581. (New York: Broude Bros., 1967.)
Feves, Angene. Homage to Amor; Sixteenth Century Dances of Love. Pleasant Hill, CA: Angene Feves, 1987. [Available from Angene Feves, 70 Karol Lane, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 USA, last time I checked -- Justin.]
1. That is, in a line, with the man in the middle, holding a lady's hand in each of his. [An illustration of a similar setup, from Caroso's later work Nobiltà di Dame, is on this issue's cover. -- Justin]
2. Where the text simply says "seguiti" we assume seguiti ordinarii are intended.
3. We assume that a full turn in place over the left shoulder is indicated, rather than a change of facing to the left, since the next instruction requires the dancers to still be facing forward.
4. This could work as either a full turn or half turn. We have chosen to interpret it as a half turn because that matches the half turns in the solos.
5. We assume that means using the last seguito to do a half turn. with three Trabuchetti;
6. This reference to a trabuchetto "backward" supports our idea that the trabuchetto a piede pari is not a jump to the side as in a usual trabuchetto.
7. If the man and the ladies are facing each other, and they each make a quarter turn to the right in doing the trabuchetto a piede pari, they will end up with the right flank "on the outside" of the triangle they have created.
8. They must end this verse in a line, in order to begin the next verse doing a hey.
9. In order to do the trabuchetti "facing" they must end the hey in a triangle.
10. Many steps in Italian dances are done "flankingly." Scholars disagree as to whether this means moving diagonally turning the body sideways, or moving diagonally without a change in facing. We have chosen to turn the body somewhat.
11. In this one place he has a pair of them going left and right in the manner of ordinary trabuchetti, rather than one with the right flank in back. A jump to each side on both feet seemed silly-looking to me, so taking a hint from Caroso's Passo e Mezo, where many passages end in either a trabuchetto grave followed by a balzetto, or with a series of three trabuchetti "taking care to do the last trabuchetto a piede pari," we do the trabuchetto left in the manner of an ordinary trabuchetto and the one to the right landing on both feet.
12. Here again, we assume a full turn in place, so that they can do the trabuchetti "facing".
13. That is, while the man does two seguiti ordinarii turning in place over the left shoulder, the ladies do two seguiti scorsi moving into their original places in a line with the man in the middle. The man must turn once and a half around if he is to end with the set facing in the original direction.
Webbed by Gregory Blount of Isenfir (Greg Lindahl) (lindahl@pbm.com)