Cesarina - a balletti from Il Ballarino by Fabritio Caroso
The following is my first draft of notes in reconstruction/translating Cesarina from Caroso's Il Ballarino (1581). Most of what I have written will not make a lot of grammatical sense. I have translated almost literally, so the language seems clunky. I have also not bothered to translate the dance steps as they are known to myself.
Later on I will give translating Caroso's explanation of how his dance steps are done.
Here is the link to the facsimile that I have used. www.pbm.com/~lindahl/caroso/facsimile/343small.html
What do I "know" about Caroso's balletti? (all comments in italics are comments and discussions made by or with KW)
Most of what I know or have gleaned has been from dance classes taught by Mistress Katherina Weyssin.
Ceserina
Verse One*
Man takes the ordinary hand of the woman, and together they will do a Riverenza Grave, after they will let go their hands and do two seguiti ordinarii turning left.
Verse Two
They will take hands walking (progressing), they will do two seguiti semidopii, beginning with the left foot. After they will do six riprese, three left and three right. Letting go of hands the woman will do the turn of the Contrapasso, the man he will do four seguiti ordinarii, two turning left, ending he will bend his knees a little as you would in the way of a mezza riverenza, and two forward, after he will take ordinary hands with the woman.
Verse Three (in the facsimile there is an obvious spelling/typeset mistake, as it repeats Nel Secondo tempo instead of saying Nel terzo tempo)
They will do six seguiti semidoppii, four traveling (progressing) along the hall and two turning left. After letting go of their hands, facing they will do two seguiti spezzati flankingly, then two passi in gagliarda and a cadenza.
Verse Four
Man's Solo**
He will do two seguiti oridinarii, one on the left and the other on the right, after he will turn his left flank inwards, he will with grace do two quick ripresa on the left foot and one trabuchetto on the same left foot. Suddenly turning the right flank inwards he will do the same ripresa and trabuchetto beginning on the right then two seguiti ordinarii turning left, then after BOTH together they will do two seguiti spezzati flankingly backwards and two passi in gagliarda and a cadenza as done above.
Verse Five
Woman's Solo***
She will do the same mutanza as the man has done.
Verse Six
They will take right hands doing four seguiti semidopii, two keeping the taken hands and two letting go of hands and turning to the left changing places.
Verse Seven
They will do two seguiti semidoppii flankingly on the left and one to the right. After turning the left flank inwards they will do two ripresa, one trabuchetto and turning the right flank inwards they will then do the same.
Verse Eight
Turning themselves to the left hand-side they will do two seguiti semidoppi, then two spezatti flankingly backwards with two passi in galiarda and a candenza.
Verse Nine
They will do two continenza grave after the woman she will turn doing two seguiti ordinarii on the left and the man he will do two forward taking the woman's ordinary hand.
Verse Ten
They will do six ripresa left and three right. Then they will do two seguiti spezzati and two passi presti and a riverenza minima.
*I have used this method of dividing the dance in Verses as it shows how I have translated the dance into manageable chunks. However Caroso uses the terms Nel secondo tempo, Nel quarto tempo..etc which means In the second time through or in the fourth time through.
**I have used the term Man's solo, however in the facsimile Caroso says Nel quarto tempo, l'Huomo solo fara which means the man alone will do.
***In the facsimile it says Nel quinto tempo, la Dama fara la medesima...which translates to In the fifth time through the woman will do the same..
My next job will be to take these instructions and make a little instruction diagram of where the man and woman will be dancing in relation to the hall and to each other, and which direction they will be dancing.
After that I will then try to dance this to the music that was created by Lord Tristan d'Avignon.
Once I think that I have most of the kinks out, I will then try to teach it to those that attend my local dance class.
Later on I will give translating Caroso's explanation of how his dance steps are done.
Here is the link to the facsimile that I have used. www.pbm.com/~lindahl/caroso/facsimile/343small.html
What do I "know" about Caroso's balletti? (all comments in italics are comments and discussions made by or with KW)
Most of what I know or have gleaned has been from dance classes taught by Mistress Katherina Weyssin.
- Usually it is a dance for a couple. (I have been informed that it can be more varied than what I have said)
- has many "verses" but no repeating chorus like cascarda. (there are instances where there are repeating "chorus" so this previous statement is not correct)
- Sometimes the man an woman will "travel" or progress across the dance floor together.
- Sometimes they will then dance on the spot creating a "pattern".
- Sometimes the woman and the man will do a different sequence of steps which will create a pattern.
- Sometimes the balletto will travel in one long line along the hall. However in the SCA due to the limited space/length of the dance floor. You will generally end up at the same spot that you originally started at. Or the dance will fold in on itself.
Ceserina
Verse One*
Man takes the ordinary hand of the woman, and together they will do a Riverenza Grave, after they will let go their hands and do two seguiti ordinarii turning left.
Verse Two
They will take hands walking (progressing), they will do two seguiti semidopii, beginning with the left foot. After they will do six riprese, three left and three right. Letting go of hands the woman will do the turn of the Contrapasso, the man he will do four seguiti ordinarii, two turning left, ending he will bend his knees a little as you would in the way of a mezza riverenza, and two forward, after he will take ordinary hands with the woman.
Verse Three (in the facsimile there is an obvious spelling/typeset mistake, as it repeats Nel Secondo tempo instead of saying Nel terzo tempo)
They will do six seguiti semidoppii, four traveling (progressing) along the hall and two turning left. After letting go of their hands, facing they will do two seguiti spezzati flankingly, then two passi in gagliarda and a cadenza.
Verse Four
Man's Solo**
He will do two seguiti oridinarii, one on the left and the other on the right, after he will turn his left flank inwards, he will with grace do two quick ripresa on the left foot and one trabuchetto on the same left foot. Suddenly turning the right flank inwards he will do the same ripresa and trabuchetto beginning on the right then two seguiti ordinarii turning left, then after BOTH together they will do two seguiti spezzati flankingly backwards and two passi in gagliarda and a cadenza as done above.
Verse Five
Woman's Solo***
She will do the same mutanza as the man has done.
Verse Six
They will take right hands doing four seguiti semidopii, two keeping the taken hands and two letting go of hands and turning to the left changing places.
Verse Seven
They will do two seguiti semidoppii flankingly on the left and one to the right. After turning the left flank inwards they will do two ripresa, one trabuchetto and turning the right flank inwards they will then do the same.
Verse Eight
Turning themselves to the left hand-side they will do two seguiti semidoppi, then two spezatti flankingly backwards with two passi in galiarda and a candenza.
Verse Nine
They will do two continenza grave after the woman she will turn doing two seguiti ordinarii on the left and the man he will do two forward taking the woman's ordinary hand.
Verse Ten
They will do six ripresa left and three right. Then they will do two seguiti spezzati and two passi presti and a riverenza minima.
*I have used this method of dividing the dance in Verses as it shows how I have translated the dance into manageable chunks. However Caroso uses the terms Nel secondo tempo, Nel quarto tempo..etc which means In the second time through or in the fourth time through.
**I have used the term Man's solo, however in the facsimile Caroso says Nel quarto tempo, l'Huomo solo fara which means the man alone will do.
***In the facsimile it says Nel quinto tempo, la Dama fara la medesima...which translates to In the fifth time through the woman will do the same..
My next job will be to take these instructions and make a little instruction diagram of where the man and woman will be dancing in relation to the hall and to each other, and which direction they will be dancing.
After that I will then try to dance this to the music that was created by Lord Tristan d'Avignon.
Once I think that I have most of the kinks out, I will then try to teach it to those that attend my local dance class.