Part 33

5. Marque talon gauche (left heel).

6. Marque pied gauche.

7-12 are the same again.

Then for the 2nd half, instead of the 'tappements' at the minims, you should make 'une greve fort haulte, rabaissee en tappement de pied traine en derrier, comme si on marchoit dessus un crachat, ou qu'on voulust tuer une araignee.' (Make a very high step, but instead of tapping the foot, scrape it backwards, as if you were treading on spittle, or wanted to kill a spider.)

Arbeau gives 17 different kinds of Branle (Brawl of Shakespeare) before coming to the Branle des Sabots, which is danced, 2 beats in a bar, four steps to the right, then four to the left, like the branle doubles; then two simples (see above), and three taps of the foot, and Repeat.

BRANLE DES SABOTS, p. 88.

{ 1. Pied gaulche largy (left foot forward). Double { 2. " droit approche (right foot up to the left). gaulche. { 3. Pied gaulche largy. { 4. Pieds joincts (join feet).

{ 5-8 are the same, 'right' and 'left' changing { places, forming a 'double droit.'

Simple { { 9. P.g. largy. gauche. { { 10. Pieds joincts. { Simple { { 11. P.d. largy. droit. { { 12. Pieds joincts.

a. Tappement du pied droit. b. Do. c. Do.

There is only one step to each Semibreve, so the tune must have been played fast.

On p. 64 Arbeau treats of the Lavolta ('high lavolt' of Shakespeare), which he says is a kind of galliard well known in Provence. One feature was that you had to keep turning round.

Capriol does not agree with these whirlings, for he immediately says--'Ces vertigues et tornoiements de cerveau me fascheroient.'

AIR D'UNE VOLTE. [LA VOLTA.]

1. Petit pas, en saultant sur le gaulche, pour faire pied en l'air droit.

2. Plus grand pas du droit.

3. Sault majeur.

4. Posture en pieds joincts; etc., all over again every two bars.

The sault majeur of the 'high lavolt' comes at the semibreves in this tune.

On p. 67 he gives the Courante--

COURANTE.

The movements are--

1, 2, simple gauche; 3, 4, simple droit; and 5-8, a 'double a gauche.' These terms have already been explained.

One of the many Bransles is the 'Branle de la Haye,' the Hay of Shakespeare. Arbeau says--first the dancers dance alone, each separately; then together so as to interlace, 'et font la haye les uns parmy les aultres.' That is, during each batch of 4 steps, the dancers change places one with another, so that if there are three dancers, A, B, C, in the first 4 steps, B and A change places, and make B, A, C; in the next 4 steps, C and A change places, and make B, C, A, etc.

Here is the tune and the formula of steps--

THE HAYE.

Beginning at the 1st complete bar, and reckoning one step to each semibreve--1. Deux simples (ss). 2. Double (d). 3. ss. 4. d. 5. ss. 6. d. 7. ss. 8. d.

The Morisque, which may at all events be compared with the little we know of the Shakespearian Morris dance, seems to have been very violent exercise for the heels (talon). Arbeau mentions that it is bad for the gout. The reader will notice that there is a separate movement for each crotchet in the following tune.