Italian dances: history and their varieties

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

There are many peoples in the world who communicate in different languages. But not only words spoke people throughout history. In order to spiritualize their emotions and thoughts in ancient times, songs and dances were used.

Dance art against the backdrop of cultural development

Italian culture is of great importance against the backdrop of world achievements. The beginning of its rapid growth coincides with the birth of a new era - the Renaissance. Actually, the Renaissance arises precisely in Italy and for some time develops internally, without touching other countries. His first successes fall on the XIV-XV century. Later from Italy they spread throughout Europe. The development of folklore also begins in the XIV century. The fresh spirit of art, a different attitude to the world and society, a change in values were directly reflected in folk dances.

Renaissance influence: new pas and balli

In the Middle Ages, Italian movements to music were performed step by step, smoothly, with swings. The Renaissance changed the attitude towards God, which was reflected in folklore. Italian dances acquired vigor and lively movements. So pas "to the full foot" symbolized the earthlythe origin of man, his connection with the gifts of nature. And the movement “on toes” or “with a jump” identified a person’s desire for God and his glorification. The Italian dance heritage is based on them. Their combination is called "balli" or "ballo".

Italian Renaissance Folk Musical Instruments

Folklore works were performed to accompaniment. The following tools were used for this:

• Harpsichord (Italian "chembalo"). First mentioned: Italy, XIV century.
• Tambourine (a kind of tambourine, the ancestor of the modern drum). The dancers also used it during their movements.
• Violin (a bowed instrument that originated in the 15th century). Its Italian variety is the viola.
• Lute (plucked string instrument.)
• Pipes, flutes and oboes.

Dance Variety

The musical world of Italy has acquired diversity. The appearance of new instruments and melodies prompted energetic movements to the beat. National Italian dances were born and developed. Their names were formed, often based on the territorial principle. There were many varieties of them. The main Italian dances known today are bergamasca, galliard, s altarella, pavane, tarantella and pizza.

Bergamasque: classic scores

Bergamasca is a popular Italian folk dance of the 16th-17th centuries, which went out of fashion after, but left a corresponding musical legacy. Home region: northern Italy, province of Bergamo. Musicthis dance is cheerful, rhythmic. The clock meter is a complex quadruple. Movements are simple, smooth, paired, changes between pairs are possible in the process. Initially, the folk dance fell in love with the court during the Renaissance.

The first literary mention of it is seen in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. At the end of the 18th century, Bergamasque smoothly passes from dance folklore into cultural heritage. Many composers have used this style in their compositions: Marco Uccellini, Solomon Rossi, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach.

By the end of the 19th century, a different interpretation of the Bergamasque appeared. It was characterized by a complex mixed size of the musical meter, a faster pace (A. Piatti, C. Debussy). To date, echoes of the folklore bergamask have been preserved, which they successfully try to embody in ballet and theatrical productions, using the appropriate stylistic musical accompaniment.

Galliard: cheerful dances

Gagliarda is an old Italian dance, one of the first folk dances. Appeared in the XV century. It means "cheerful" in translation. Actually, he is very cheerful, energetic and rhythmic. It is a complex combination of five steps and jumps. This is a pair folk dance that gained popularity at aristocratic balls in Italy, France, England, Spain, Germany.

In the 15th-16th centuries, the galliard became fashionable due to its comic form, cheerful, spontaneous rhythm. Lost popularity due to evolution and transformation into a standard prim court dancestyle. At the end of the 17th century, she completely switched to music.

The primary galliard is characterized by a moderate pace, the length of a meter is a simple tripartite. In later periods, they are performed with the appropriate rhythm. At the same time, the complex length of the musical meter was characteristic of the galliard. Well-known modern works in this style are distinguished by a slower and calmer tempo. Composers who used galliard music in their works: V. Galilei, V. Break, B. Donato, W. Byrd and others.

S altarella wedding fun

S altarella (S altarello) is the oldest Italian dance. It is quite cheerful and rhythmic. Accompanied by a combination of steps, jumps, turns and bows. Origin: From the Italian s altare, "to jump." The first mention of this type of folk art dates back to the XII century. It was originally a social dance with musical accompaniment in a simple two- or three-beat meter. Since the 18th century, it has been smoothly reborn into a steamy s altarella to the music of complex meters. The style has been preserved to this day.

In the 19th-20th century, it turned into a massive Italian wedding dance, which was danced at wedding celebrations. by the way, at that time they were often timed to coincide with the harvest. In the XXI - performed at some carnivals. Music in this style has been developed in the compositions of many authors: F. Mendelssohn, G. Berlioz, A. Castellono, R. Barto, B. Bazurov.

Pavane: graceful solemnity

Pavane is an old Italian ballroom dance that was performed exclusively at court. Another name is known - padovana (from the name of the Italian city of Padova; from the Latin pava - peacock). This dance is slow, graceful, solemn, ornate. The combination of movements consists of single and double steps, curtseys and periodic changes in the location of partners relative to each other. She danced not only at balls, but also at the beginning of processions or ceremonies.

The Italian pavane, having entered the court balls of other countries, has changed. It became a kind of dance "dialect". So, the Spanish influence led to the emergence of "pavanilla", and the French - to the "passamezzo". The music, under which the pas were performed, was slow, two-beat. Percussion instruments accentuate the rhythm and important moments of the composition. The dance gradually went out of fashion, preserved in the works of the musical heritage (P. Attenyan, I. Shein, C. Saint-Saens, M. Ravel).

Tarantella: the epitome of Italian temperament

Tarantella is an Italian folk dance that has survived to this day. He is passionate, energetic, rhythmic, cheerful, tireless. The Italian tarantella dance is a hallmark of the locals. It consists of a combination of jumps (including to the side) with alternately throwing the leg forward and backward. It was named after the city of Taranto. There is also another version. It was said that people bitten by a tarantula spider were subjected to a disease - tarantism. The disease was very similar to rabies, from whichtried to heal in the process of non-stop fast movements.

Music is performed in a simple three-part or compound time. She is fast and fun. Special Features:

1. Combination of the main instruments (including keyboards) with additional ones that are in the hands of the dancers (tambourines and castanets).
2. No standard music.
3. Improvisation of musical instruments within a known rhythm.

The rhythm inherent in movements was used in their compositions by F. Schubert, F. Chopin, F. Mendelssohn, P. Tchaikovsky. Tarantella is still a colorful folk dance, the basics of which are known by every patriot. And in the 21st century, they continue to dance it en masse at fun family holidays and magnificent weddings.

Pizzica: Clockwork Dance Showdown

Pizzica is a fast Italian dance derived from the tarantella. It became a dance direction of Italian folklore due to the appearance of its own distinctive features. If the tarantella is predominantly a mass dance, then pizza has become exclusively paired. Even more groovy and energetic, he received some warlike notes. The movements of the two dancers resemble a duel in which cheerful rivals fight.

Often it is performed by ladies with several gentlemen in turn. At the same time, performing energetic movements, the young lady expressed her originality, independence, stormy feminine, as a result, rejecting each of them. Cavaliers succumbed to pressure, demonstrating theiradmiration for a woman. Such an individual special character is peculiar only to pizza. In some way, it characterizes the passionate Italian nature. Having gained popularity in the 18th century, pizza has not lost it to this day. It continues to be performed at fairs and carnivals, family celebrations and theater and ballet performances.

The appearance of a new type of dance led to the creation of an appropriate musical accompaniment. Appears "pizzicato" - a way of performing works on bowed string instruments, but not with the bow itself, but with finger plucks. As a result, completely different sounds and melodies appear.

Italian dances in the history of world choreography

Originated as a folk art, penetrating into the aristocratic ballrooms, dancing has become popular in society. There was a need to systematize and concretize pas for the purpose of amateur and vocational training. The first theoretical choreographers were Italians: Domenico da Piacenza (XIV-XV), Guglielmo Embreo, Fabrizio Caroso (XVI). These works, along with the honing of movements and their stylization, served as the basis for the worldwide development of ballet.

Meanwhile, at the origins were dancing s altarella or tarantella cheerful simple rural and urban residents. The temperament of Italians is passionate and lively. The era of the Renaissance is mysterious and majestic. These features characterize Italian dances. Their heritage is the basis for the development of dance art in the world as a whole. Their features are a reflection of history, character, emotions andpsychology of an entire nation through many centuries.