On Sat, Apr 15, 2006, Arthur Ness <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> said: > Often in early tablatures, the bar lines mark off the tactus. And it seems > each step takes a tactus.
well, in pavans that is true, maybe not for faster dances. Think of the Pavan as an opportunity for the peacocks to strut. All the important folk still ambulatory get to parade in order of precedence, showing off their finery. His tempo is about one tactus to MM 60. Just about the same as a sedentary human pulse. The steps of a pavan are deliberatly simple, its not the step itself so much as the display of 'gravitas' that the dancers are concerned with. The grandest of pavans will make much use of drums (eg, the various Battle pavans). The sentiments of Belle Qui Tiens Ma Vie make it a splendid wedding piece (their is an excellent anti-wedding piece whos title translates to 'I would rather sleep...'). -- Dana Emery To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
