Description
Have you ever wondered how people danced in the Renaissance? The book “Renaissance-Tänze der Orchésographie nach Thoinot Arbeau”, edited by Hinrich Langeloh, gives you a fascinating insight into the world of French Renaissance dances. In 1589, Thoinot Arbeau compiled a collection of 35 dances that originally came from the people and were adapted by him for aristocratic society. Many of these dances are still very popular in France today. With the CD of the “Katharco Early Music Consort”, which comes with the book, you can not only read, but also hear and feel how these historical dances are brought to life.
Your entry into the Renaissance
Hinrich Langeloh makes it easy for you to immerse yourself in the fascinating ballroom dances of the Renaissance. With his clear and understandable language, he guides you through ten couple dances and twenty branles in “Renaissance Dances”, supported by detailed explanations, many illustrations and an extensive appendix of sheet music. Whether you are new to the world of historical dances or already a connoisseur – this book will inspire you.
Why these dances are so special
In his foreword, Langeloh emphasizes how important it is to rediscover our own historical roots and cultures. The “Orchésographie” from 1589 offers not only dance instructions, but also an insight into the social and cultural aspects of the time, making the dances a living piece of history.
What you can expect
The book “Renaissance Dances” is divided into two main parts: Couple Dances and Branles. Each part starts with an introduction, followed by detailed descriptions and illustrations. A comprehensive appendix with sheet music of all CD melodies and a bibliography makes the book a comprehensive tool for dance enthusiasts.
Highlights of the book
- Understandable for everyone: clear language that is also accessible to laypeople.
- In-depth insights: Detailed information on the origin and meaning of the dances.
- Visual support: Numerous illustrations that clarify steps and postures.
- Musical accompaniment: A comprehensive sheet music appendix to the CD.
- Further resources: An extensive bibliography for those who want to delve deeper into the topic.
Who is “Renaissance Dances” for?
Whether dance enthusiasts, historians, music and dance teachers or simply the curious – this book is an invitation to all those interested in the rich culture of the Renaissance and its forms of expression in dance.
Your gateway to the Renaissance
With “Renaissance Dances of Orchésographie after Thoinot Arbeau” you get more than just a textbook. You will receive a key to the lively and diverse dances of the Renaissance, a perfect mix of theory and practice that will immerse you deeply in the historical dances. Get ready to discover the past and experience how it makes you dance!
Foreword
It can be observed that interest in our own history and in the roots of our existence is increasing in our culture.
This development can be seen in many areas of life, e.g. people are now paying more attention to their historic old towns and cultural monuments, so that our history can be found more frequently in everyday life again. In addition, a number of cities are celebrating their 1000th or at least 763rd anniversary in search of tourist attractions. Old traditional costumes, old music and old dances are of course needed to decorate the festival, and so this is a good opportunity for dance teachers or dance groups to take a closer look at the old dances.
When searching for historical descriptions of these dances, one inevitably comes across the “Orchésographie” by Thoinot Arbeau. This book of dance descriptions of French Renaissance dances was first published in 1589 and provides a fascinating insight into the variety of social dances of the time.
There were simple and more complicated couple dances, but also row and circle dances, called “Branlen”, with theatrical and surprising elements. Based on the “Orchéso-graphie”, I would like to give a first introduction to these old dances in a language that is understandable for interested laymen. Perhaps I can encourage some of you to take a closer look at this topic. There are good lecturers who teach these dances, and in my bibliography you will find references to further studies on dance history.
So that dance groups without historical musicians can also try out and perform these dances, this book is supplemented by a very good recording of all the dances described by the Katharco Early Music Consort – also published by Verlag der Spielleute.
I have put the dances together in suitable suites, and I have made sure that the recordings are very danceable in terms of tempi and transitions between the dances. With their historical instruments, the musicians have succeeded in making a lively and varied recording that is well worth listening to.
My thanks go to Verlag der Spielleute for their openness towards such initiatives, to the musicians of Katharco, Sibylle and Gert Dannemann for helping to shape the book and – last but not least – to my proofreader Susanne.
Hinrich Langeloh
Hamburg-Osdorf 1993
Author:in
Hinrich Langeloh
Hinrich Langeloh, born in 1955, lives in Hamburg. He is a qualified psychologist by profession and worked for many years as a teacher in a youth association. He currently works as a musician and folk dance teacher.
As a musician, he has been playing European bagpipes, recorders and historical wind instruments for around 20 years – either solo or in the group “Brumborium”. In the field of folk dance, he has been involved since 1980 as a collector and instructor in the areas of “dance animation with simple folk dances”, “Western European folk dances” and “historical dances”.
