Gloria d'Amore: A Reconstruction

[ This article appeared in volume 3 of the Letter of Dance. ]

by Lady Corinne Laurent and Messer Sion Andreas o Wynedd
Copyright 1992

Gloria d'Amore is one of the cascarde choreographed by Fabritio Caroso da Sermoneta and included in his book Il Ballarino (Venice, 1581).

For this reconstruction, we used the text from the facsimile edition of Il Ballarino published by Broude Bros. (New York, 1970). To help understand difficult words in the text, we made use of the first published Italian/English dictionary, John Florio's Queen Anna's New World of Words (London, 1611). We notated the tablature provided by Caroso, using Vincentio Galilei's Fronimo (Venice, 1584), the basic text for intabulating notated music and therefore for the reverse as well. We have used Mistress Urraca Yriarte de Gamboa's format for the presentation of this reconstruction, as it is the best we have yet to see.

Gloria follows the usual formulaic progression of intrade which one finds in the five-movement cascarda: half circle, full circle, lord's solo, lady's solo, and finale.

Internally, the usual Intrada/Mostra/Ritornello construction is evident. There are, however, two distinct ritornello passages, the first occurring in the first and fifth movements, and the other occurring in the three internal movements. The mostra shows the most variation of the three parts. Two Puntate are used in the first, third, and fourth movements; the second movement uses two Spezzati to enlarge the dance; and the fifth movement uses two Trabucchetti grave in conjunction with the usual touching of palms. This replacement of the Puntate with the Trabucchetti in the final movement is illustrative of a thematic consummation which is achieved at the finish of the dance.

Translation of the Text

Glory of Love
cascarda
In praise of the illustrious lady, Lady Virginia Mancina Glorieri,
gentlewomen of Rome

Facing they will(1) do the Riverenza Minima, then they will do two Sequiti Spezzati in a wheel,(2) then two Scambiate, one to the left and the other to the right; and two Puntate, one forward and the other backward:(3) After that they will do two Sequiti Spezzati flanking backwards, then two Passi Presti forward and the Cadenza, beginning each part with the left foot, except the Cadenza.

In the second part, they will do four Sequiti Spezzati in a wheel, four Trabucchetti facing, and the one Sequito Spezzato turning to the left and the Cadenza: then they will do two Sequiti Spezzati flanking backwards, two Riprese, and two Trabucchetti turning the left side inward; at the end of these they will do a Sequito Spezzato turning to the left and the Cadenza,(4) as described above.

Variation of the Man alone and afterwards together

In the third part the man alone will do two Fioretti with even feet,(5) two Passi Presti backwards, then one Sequito Spezzato turning the body in perspective to the left and beginning with the left, and in that instant he will do the Riverenza Minima(6) to the right; he will do the same again from the beginning, beginning each part with the right foot and the Riverenza to the left: Then together they will do two Puntate, one forward and the other backward, then two Riprese, two Trabucchetti to the left and a Sequito Spezzato turning likewise to the left and the Cadenza to the right.(7)

Variation of the Lady and then together

In the fourth part the lady will do the same as the man alone will have done above, in the case that she will not know how to do the Fioretti(8) she will do in their place four Trabucchetti, then a Sequito Spezzato and the Riverenza Minima with the right: the same will be done again beginning each part with the right and a Riverenza with the left; After that they will do together the other actions which were given in the man's variation.

In the fifth part, they will do in a wheel two Sequiti Spezzati, and a Sequito Semidoppio, beginning these with the left: then they will do the same to the right beginning these with the right:(9) then they will do two Trabucchetti Grave, one to the left touching the right hand, the other to the right touching the left hand:(10) finally they will do two Sequiti Spezzati flanking backwards, then two Passi Presti forwards: and the Cadenza. [Against the music?] they will do the Riverenza and they will end the Cascarda.(11)

The Reconstruction

The couple begins the dance by facing one another.

Part 1:

A
1-4	Riverenza
5-8	2 Sequiti Spezzati	Halfway around a circle to end facing
9-16	2 Scambiate	One to the left, one to the right
B
17-20	2 Puntate	One forward, one backward
C
21-24	2 Sequiti Spezzati	Flanking backwards
25-26	2 Passi Prestii	Forward to end facing
27	Cadenza

Part 2:

A
1-8	4 Sequiti Spezzati	Full around a circle to end facing
9-12	4 Trabucchetti	Starting to the left
13-14	1 Sequito Spezzato	Turning to the left to end facing
15-16	Cadenza
B
17-20	2 Sequiti Spezzati	Flanking backwards
C
21-22	2 Riprese	One to the left, one to the right
23-24	2 Trambuchetti	One to the left, one to the right ending with the left shoulder in towards the center
25-26	1 Sequito Spezzato	Turning to the left to end facing
27	Cadenza

Part 3:

A (the man alone dances part A)
1-2	2 Fioretti
3-4	2 Passi Presti	Backwards
5-6	1 Sequito Spezzato	Turning to the left to end facing
7-8	Riverenza (semi-minima)
9-10	2 Fioretti
11-12	2 Passi Presti	Backwards
13-14	1 Sequito Spezzato	Turning to the right to end facing
15-16	Riverenza (semi-minima)
B
17-20	2 Puntate	One forward, one backward
C
21-22	2 Reprise	One to the left, one to the right
23-24	2 Trabucchetti	One to the left, one to the right ending with the left shoulder in towards the center
25-26	1 Sequito Spezzato	Turning to the left to end facing
27	Cadenza

Part 4:

A (the lady alone dances part A, either as in the man's solo or else:)
1-4	4 Trabucchetti	Starting to the left
5-6	1 Sequito Spezzato	Turning to the left to end facing
7-8	Riverenza (semi-minima)
9-12	4 Trabucchetti	Starting to the right
13-14	1 Sequito Spezzato	Turning to the right to end facing
15-16	Riverenza (semi-minima)
B
17-20	2 Puntate	One forward, one backward
C
21-22	2 Reprise	One to the left, one to the right
23-24	2 Trabucchetti	One to the left, one to the right ending with the left shoulder in towards the center
25-26	1 Sequito Spezzato	Turning to the left to end facing
27	Cadenza

Part 5:

A
1-4	2 Sequiti Spezzati	Around a circle to the left
5-8	1 Sequito Semidoppio
9-12	2 Sequiti Spezzati	Around a circle to the right
13-16	1 Sequito Semidoppio
B
17-20	2 Trabucchetti Gravi	One to the left touching right palms, one to the right touching left palms
C
21-24	2 Sequiti Spezzati	Flanking backwards
25-26	2 Passi Presti
27	Cadenza
	Riverenza

Glossary of Steps

This is a brief alphabetic overview of the steps used in Gloria d'Amore. In the case of the cascarde, we found that the tempo, or measure of essentially 3/8 music, was the equivalent of the battuta called for in the step descriptions. In deference to the fact that we are dealing with a cascarda here, we have given the time in terms of tempi, not battutte.

These descriptions were put together to help a beginner understand what we were talking about. We recommend that reconstructors always return to the original descriptions in Il Ballarino and make their own interpretations. As Ingrid Brainard has observed, it is better to make one's own mistakes than to blindly repeat another's.

Cadenza: This is a jump and it usually takes two tempi to perform. In the first tempo the back foot is swung forward in front of the other in the company of a leap on that forward foot; in the second tempo that back foot is brought back to place as the dancer lands. This may be accompanied by a bending of the knees to help absorb the force of the landing.

Fioretto: This step, which usually carries the dancer forward, takes one tempo to perform. In this, the first foot is swung out, around, and behind the second, forcing that second foot up into a pied en air. In this way, a series of these steps can be set up, each fed on the momentum of the previous step.

Passo: This is a traveling step which takes one tempo to perform. It is a simple step or pace forward, usually, on one foot or the other.

Puntate: This step, which usually carries the dancer forward, takes two tempi to perform. In the first tempo it is a simple step or pace forward, usually, with one foot. In the second tempo the second foot meets the first, with perhaps a hint of elevee.

Ripresa: This is a sideways step which takes one tempo to perform. In it the dancer rises onto his toes, steps to one side, closes with the other foot, and then sinks.

Riverenza minima: This is an honouring step which takes four tempi to perform. In the first tempo the man puts his left foot straight forward about six inches; n the second he draws his foot straight back so that it is the same distance behind the right foot; in the third tempo both dancers bend their knees; and in the fourth tempo they close their feet and rise back to regular position, with perhaps a hint of elevee. All in all it bears similarities to a curtsey.

Riverenza semiminima: This step is similar to the Riverenza minima, but takes two tempi, or half the time, to execute.

Scambiata: This is a pointed exchanging-of-the-feet step that takes four tempi to perform. In the first tempo, the dancers step to one side with that foot; in the second the second foot is joined to the first, which causes it to swing into the air; in the third tempo that first foot is returned to its place alongside the second; and in the fourth tempo the dancers hold position. There are steps similar to this in the Balkan repertoire.

Sequito Semidoppio: This is a traveling step which takes four tempi to perform. In the first two tempi, the dancer does two passi, and in the last two tempi, the dancer does a Sequito Spezzato.

Sequito Spezzato: This is a traveling step which takes two tempi to perform. In the first tempo, the first foot is put forward, and the second foot cuts underneath it. Then in the second tempo, the first foot is put forward again. The most common non-Italian cousin of this step is the skipping step into the middle in Sellinger's Round.

Trabucchetto: This is a sideways step which is done in one tempo, and it is very like a trebuchet shot, according to our reconstruction. The dancer springs onto the toe of one foot, brings the second foot close, and then sinks back to normal height.

Music

Bibliography

Caroso, Fabritio, Il Ballarino, Venice: Zeletti, 1581; facsimile reprinted New York: Broude Brothers, 1970.

Caroso, Fabritio, Nobilta di Dame, translated by Julia Sutton, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986.

Engle, Ian A., "Patterns in Chaos: An Examination of Recurrent Choreographic Themes of the Cascarde of `Il Ballarino'", unpublished paper, 1992.

Florio, John, Queen Anna's New World of Words, 2nd edition, London: Melch, Bradwood, 1611; facsimile reprint Menson, England: Scolar Press, 1968.

Galilei, Vincentio, Fronimo, translated by Carol McClitock, Stuttgart: American Institute of Musicology, 1985.

Notes

1 The cascarde are predominantly couple dances, and they usually begin with the dancers facing one another across a small circle. There may be a larger circle invoked at some point in the dance, but the smaller circle is the beginning and the end of the cascarda.

2 Caroso has two terms, `in routa' and `cambiando lougo', which he could use to get dancers to go to each others' places. In the case of the cascarda, `routa' is the preferred term. Noting the circular nature of the cascarda, the preference for `routa' becomes understandable.

In the case of a five-movement cascarda, the first, second, and fifth movements use the `routa' figure. For our part, when we find the figure `due Spezzati in routa' we have assumed that the dancers exchange places while tracing a distinct circle; in the case of `quattro Spezzati in routa' we have assumed that the dancers come back to place after tracing that same circle; in the case of the fifth movement the step sequence is done once to the left and then again to the right, so that the dancers return to the place where they began the movement.

3 Where the dancers do two Puntate in this dance, we recommend that they `si pavonaggieranno'. Since these Puntate occur in the part of the movement Engle calls the Mostra, a show-off or enticement section, anything which accentuated the flirtatious nature of the step sequence would seem appropriate.

4 We view the two Riprese and the two Trabucchetti as a `wind-up' to the Spezzato into the Cadenza. In performance, we really wanted to accentuate that the kinetic energy of the sequence grows and grows until it all converts into a Cadenza.

5 We have interpreted the two Fioretti a Pie Pari as carrying the dancer forward: essentially, two paces. The two Passi Presti then bring the dancer back to place.

6 Caroso specifies Riverenza Minima at this point of the dance, but after analysis, we feel that he must have meant either Riverenza Semiminima or Meza Riverenza, since Riverenza Minima just does not fit in the time left after all other steps have been accounted for.

7 Although Caroso does not specify that this sequence of Riprese, Trabucchetti, Spezzato, and Cadenza is the same as the one which occurs in the second movement, we have made the assumption that they are the same. Our justification of this is the idea of unifying the feel of the dance.

8 Caroso often gives a variant for the lady, just in case she cannot do the lord's solo passage. We prefer to use the four Trabucchetti in performance, but in the case that this option is chosen, we feel that the steps should carry the dancer forward and back, just as the steps for the lord's solo do. These Trabucchetti need to be very clean and crisp in order to carry this off, however.

9 As has been noted above, this sequence ought to bring the dancers back to their beginning places. However, in this case the dancers are going from the larger circle, which was created by the two backward Spezzati in the second movement, to the smaller circle in which the dance was begun. To achieve this, we have the dancers `shave off' the circle, so that the step sequence when done to the right spirals in and the smaller circle is reformed. The trick here is to make sure that the circular nature of both step sequences is not sacrificed.

It should be noted that at all times we assume that there is an axis which passes through the circle of the cascarda, and that it is to this axis that the dancers return, whether they have changed sides or come back to original places.

10 We chose not to do the Trabucchetti so that the palms touch just as the leading foot touches the ground. We made this choice because to so precisely coordinate the two touches would take a lot of work, and even once that was achieved, we noted that there would be a beat of empty time. Everything else in the dance, so far, had made such excellent use of time and space that this just was too jarring to our sense of what is right in a cascarda.

In place of the above literal interpretation of the text, we do the step sequence as a Trabuchetto followed by a touching of the palms, then another Trabuchetto followed by the touching of the other palms. In this case, the four tempi of the sequence are all filled, with no clumsy empty places.

11 It is usual for the final Riverenza of the cascarda to occur outside of the dance proper. Although we couldn't make good sense of the phrase `contra tempo', we counted the time and steps and decided that Gloria was acting the same way as other cascarde do in such circumstances. As this is the final Riverenza of a very flirtatious dance, our Riverenza has the leisure to take slightly longer and have a more, shall we say, `reverent' overtone to it.