Antonio Cornazano & Guglielmo Ebreo: Bassadanza la Spagna (Part 1 of 3) (c.1455)

La Spagna. Part 1 of 3.

0:06 Tenore Il Re di Spagna (hurdy-gurdy, tambourine, drum)
1:42 La bassa castiglya / Falla con misura (shawm, trombone, drum)

The basse danse (bassadanza) likely originated in the Netherlands in the first half of the 15th century but appeared in various incarnations across all of Western Europe throughout the 16th century. There are more than 100 surviving setting of the La Spagna theme including instrumental, vocal, secular and sacred parodies. This simple, slow cantus firmus melody which does not seem particularly stirring or catchy, became the most widely parodied tune for the multitude of leading Renaissance composers including Josquin des Prez and Heinrich Isaac.

The first of the two pieces in this video is the original tenor of the tune titled "Il Re di Spagna." it comes to us from a dance treatise by Antonio Cornazzano (or Cornazano) "Libro dell'Arte del Danzare," first issued in 1455 (reissued in 1465) and dedicated to the Lady Ippolita Maria Sforza, offspring of the rulers of Milan and later spouse to the King of Naples. Ippolita (Hyppolita) was a highly educated and capable woman skilled in international diplomacy but also a patron of the arts, music and dance.

The second of the two pieces, "la Bassa [danza] castiglya" (a.k.a. "Falla con misura) by the dance master Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro is the earliest surviving "La Spagna" setting that adds a florid superius overlay superimposed the popular cantus firmus. There is uncertainty whether the original melody was in 2/4 or 6/8 time, but the meter of Guglielmo's setting is the first that was clearly 6/8 time and was representative of most early Renaissance bassadanze.

The original MIDI file for the "Falla con Misuras" (Guglielmo Ebreo) was uploaded by Dillon Upton to IMSLP.com. The tenor to "Il Re di Spagna" is my own arrangement from Cornazano's 1465 manuscript.

Description of the photos:

1. "Tenore del re di Spagna," the original bassadanza tune from which all subsequent variations developed, Libro dell'Arte del Danzare, second edition Antonio Cornazano, 1455
2. Ippolita Maria Sforza portrayed as Salome dancing at the court of King Herod, Benozzo Gozzoli, c1462
3. A noble lady from Naples (likely Ippolita Maria Sforza), Francesco Laurana, c1473
4. "Falla con misura," Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro, Perugia 431, c1480
5. Tenor of the "La bassa castiglya," Bologna Q16, c1487
6. Cover page of Guglielmo Ebreo's "De Pratica Seu Arte Tripudii," manuscript on courtly dance, 1463
7. Three dancers and a harpist from "De Pratica Seu Arte Tripudii," Guglielmo Ebreo, 1463

Скачать видео