Dear David,
It was Margaret Donnington, Robert's sister (I think), who first
explained to me (on an early music course for viols in Cheltenham in
1973) that there were two basic sorts of galliard:
1) The fast galliard, where you have five jumps in the air - 1, 2, 3,
4, wait, 5.
2) The slow galliard, where the dancer puts in an extra step for an
"and" - 1 and, 2 and, 3 and, 4 and, wait and, 6.
The fast galliard would be suitable for 16th-century galliards like
those published in Paris by Pierre Attaingnant. The slow galliard is
more energetic, because of all the extra little steps, and would be
suitable for galliards like John Dowland's Earl of Essex Galliard.
This idea of there being two galliard types I heard re-iterated some
years later by Layton Ring on one of the Lute Society courses at
Cheltenham. He demonstrated how it would be impossible to play The Earl
of Essex Galliard at the speed of someone dancing the fast galliard.
Margaret Donnington and Layton Ring both made the same distinction
between the two galliard types, but unfortunately I don't know what
their evidence was. If anyone can tell me, I would be very interested
to know.
Whether or not they were right, I have found from playing Dowland's
galliards, that it is a good idea to start by counting: "1 and, 2 and,
3, and", which helps you hold the speed back from the outset.
I am sure Howard Posner is right in suggesting that there were many
galliard speeds depending on several factors, and that like so many
other dances, the galliard slowed down gradually over the years.
Thomas Morley, in _A Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practicall
Musicke_ (London, 1597), p. 181, says that the speed of the galliard is
related to the speed of the pavan which precedes it:
"After every pavan usually set a galliard (that is, a kind of musicke
we made out of the other) causing it go by a measure, which the learned
cal _trochaieam rationem_, consisting of a long and short stroke
successivelie, for as the foote _trochaeus_ consisteth of one sillable
of two times, and another of one time, so is the first of these two
strokes double to the latter: the first beeing in time of a semibrefe,
and the latter of a minime. This is a lighter and more stirring kinde
of dauncing then the pavane consisting of the same number of straines,
and looke howe manie foures of semibreves, you put in the straine of
your pavan, so many times sixe minimes must you put in the straine of
youre galliard."
I think it is important not to let a casual glance at the music give
you a fixed idea of what the speed should be. For example, it is
possible to play the so-called "Sinkapace galliard" quite quickly. I
mean the piece which starts
|\ |\ |\ |\
| | |\ |
| |. | |
_____________f____d__c__a____________
__d__d__d__|_d_______d__c__d____d__|_
__d__d__d__|_d_______d__d__a__c____|_
__a__a_____|_a_______a_____________|_
___________|____________a__c_______|_
___________|_______________________|_ [to be read with Courier font]
That is how the start of the dance appears in Adriaenssen's _Pratum
Musicum_ (Antwerp, 1584), f. 81v. However, a little further on
Adriaenssen gives the same piece with written-out divisions, "La mesme
plus diminuee." Instead of a straightforward
|\ |\
| |\
| |
_a__________________________________
_c________a__c__d______________c__|_
_d_____d__b_____b__a______________|_
______________________c__a__c_____|_
_a______________c_____a_____a_____|_
____c_____d_______________________|_
he gives the somewhat daunting
|\ |\ |\
|\ |\ |\
| |\ |\
| | |\
_a______________________________a_____________________
_c______________a___a_c_d_a_c_d___d_c_a_d_c_d_c_a_c_|_
_d__a_c_d_a_c_d___d_________________________________|_
____________________________________________________|_
_a______________________c_______________a___________|_
________c_______d_______________d___________________|_
The divisions might make one re-think what the tempo of the piece
should be.
Best wishes,
Stewart McCoy.
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of David van Ooijen
Sent: 12 July 2009 07:22
To: lute
Subject: [LUTE] Re: The Galliard
On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 7:45 AM, Franz
Mechsner<[email protected]> wrote:
> wrote it with the cat on y lap and forgot editing... if this is
kind of
> an excuse...
... the best possible.
You could start with Robert Donington's "The Interpretation of Early
Music" (Faber & Faber).
He calls a Galiard a rapid dance with a moderate pulse, the same, in
fact, of the Pavan preceding it, so both can be performed (danced as
well as played) as a unit. The dancer moves faster though the music
does not.
Morley (1597) calls it lighter and more stirring than the pavan.
Mace (1676) says 'slow and large triple-time, grave and sober'
End of quotes. Time to find your on truth. ;-)
David
--
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David van Ooijen
[email protected]
www.davidvanooijen.nl
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