"I like branles because a number of persons can enjoy them together."-Capriol, in Arbeau's "Orchesography."
The branle derives its name from the French word "branler", which means to swing side to side.
The branle is danced in a group in the form of a cirlce or chain, and it consists of simple
steps to the right or left. The dancers hold hands and move together in a sideways motion.
Our main source of information on the branle is from Arbeau's
"Orchesography." Dolmetsch points out in "Dances of England and France" that Arbeau's teaching
on the branle is "entirely reliable and practical" because Arbeau learned about about dancing
in the province of Poitou, the "true home of the branle." There are many different types of branles, such
as the branle double, the branle simple,
the branle gay, and the Burgundian branle. Some are more
lively or in different meters. There are also different regional branles, such as the branles d'Escosse
and the branle d'Poitou. The music for the branle was often provided by the singing of the dancers.
The tunes were syllabic and had a folklike quality.
"And as to the pavan it serves for the kings, princes, and grave noblemen, to show themselves on the days of solemn festival with their grand mantles and robes of parade. And then the queens, princesses, and noble ladies accompany them, with the long trains of their dresses lowered and trailing, sometimes borne by damsels. And the said pavans are played by hautboys and sackbutts, who call it the grandball and make it last until those who dance have circled the hall two or three times: unless they should prefer to dance it advancing and retreating. Pavans are also used in masquerades to herald the entrance of the gods and goddesses in their triumphal chariots or emperors and kings in full majesty. " -from Arbeau's "Orchesography"
The pavan is a well-known dance; many pavans have been written for all types of instruments. The pavan is a dance in duple time, which consists of two simple steps and one double step forward, and then two simples and one double backward. The pavan was commonly a processional dance, in which the dancers walked in pairs, the lady on the right. Examples of pavans can be found in dance books published by Pierre Attaignant.
Galliards are dances which follow the pavans and are sometimes constructed on the same theme as
the pavan. The galliard was sometimes performed by a solo dancer who would embellesh the dance with
complex variations of fast steps and high jumps. It could also be danced in couples, using a series
of sideways steps, turns, and hops. The galliard is in triple meter and it's a lively dance. The music
is in a simple, homophonic stlye. One distinctive trait of the galliard is the use of hemiolas,
which is the division of six beats from 3+3 into 2+2+2 before a cadence. (Sadie)
The earliest surviving examples of galliard music is found in Attaingnant's publications.
The allemande is a dance in duple time, which can move forwars or backwards. It usually has a forward movement, similar to the processional pavan. The steps consist of a series doubles and one pair of singles.
DOUBLE:
Left step, close
rise on toes
lower to flat feet
left step
right "greve"
"GREVE"-right kick with knees high and toe pointed
SINGLE:
Left step
rise on left
right "greve"
Descriptions of Double and Single steps taken from Dolmetsch's "Dances of England and Frace"
To hear some allemandes click here.
The canary is one of the most complex dances in Negri's "Le Gratie d'Amore." It is thought to have originated from Spain, a native dance from the Canary Islands. Negri's version of the dance is for a couple. The canary is danced in a fast triple. The early canaries were set to music that had a short, simple ground bass and a dotted rhythm in triple meter. They usually had a short, two phrase form. The basic harmonic structure of the canary is a I-IV-V-I progression. A detailed explanation of the steps, music and variations of the canary can be found here.