A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Orchésographie

by William Barclay Squire

'ORCHÉSOGRAPHIE^[1], et traicté en forme de dialogue, par lequel toutes personnes peuvent facilement apprendre et pratiquer l'honneste exercice des dances,'^[2] is the title of a rare 4to volume of 104 pages, published by Jehan des Preys at Langres in 1589. In the Privilegium of another edition is the date Nov. 22, 1588, and the work was reprinted at Langres in 1596 with a somewhat different title. The author, who writes under the anagram of Thoinot Arbeau, was one Jehan Tabourot, a canon of Langres, of whom nothing is known except that he was the uncle of the poet Etienne Tabourot (1549–1590), Seigneur des Accords (sometimes called 'the Burgundian Rabelais'), that he was the author of the 'Orchésographie,' and of an equally rare Shepherd's Calendar in dialogue, and that he died in 1595, aged 76.^[3] The 'Orchésographie' is a particularly valuable work, as it is the earliest treatise on dancing extant, which contains the notation of the different dance-tunes. Quaintly written in the form of a dialogue between Thoinot Arbeau and Capriol (a lawyer who finds that the art of dancing is a necessary accomplishment in his profession), the work contains a review of dancing as practised by the ancients, directions for playing drums, fifes, oboes, etc., as well as minute descriptions of the manner of dancing Basse Dances. The book is illustrated with curious woodcuts, representing the different steps to be executed in the dances, and contains music for fifes and drums, as well as for the following dances, several of which may be found in the present work. See Branle, Mattachins, Morris Dance, Pavan, Tourdion, Trihoris, Volt.

Pavanes.
Tourdions.
Gaillardes—'La traditore my fa morire'; 'Anthoinette'; 'Baisons nous belle'; 'Si j'ayme ou non'; 'La fatigué'; 'La Milannoise'; 'J'aymerois mieulx dormir seulette'; 'L'ennuy qui me tourmente.'
La Volte.
La Courante.
L'Allemande.
Branles—Double, Simple, Gay, de Bourgogne, du Hault Barrois.
Branles couppés—'Cassandre'; 'Pinagay'; 'Charlotte'; de la Guerre; 'Aridan.'
Branles de Poictou; d'Escosse; de Bretagne (Triory); de Malte; des Lavandieres; des Pois; des Hermites; du Chandelier; de la Torche; des Sabots; des Chevaulx; da la Montarde; de la Haye; de l'Official.
Gavotte.
Morisique.
Canaries.
Pavane d'Espagne.
Bouffons, or Mattachins.

2. A work entitled 'Orchesography, or the Art of Dancing by characters and demonstrations,' etc., was published in 1706 by J. Walsh. It is a translation by J. Weaver of R. A. Feuillet's 'Chorégraphie, ou l'Art de Décrire La Danse, par caractères, figures et signes démonstratifs,' etc., which was published in 1699, and is founded on a system invented by the famous dancing-master Charles Louis Beauchamps (1636–1705). The book is curious as showing the degree of elaboration to which the old French dances were brought at the Court of Louis XIV, but it is now almost useless, owing to the extreme intricacy of the diagrams. Feuillet's work was followed by a supplement, containing an interesting collection of old dance-tunes.

[ W. B. S. ]

1. 'Description of dancing,' from ὄρχησις, dancing; and γράφειν, to write.
2. 'Orchesography, and treatise in dialogue form, by means of which all may easily learn and practise the goodly exercise of dances.'
3. The information given above is taken from the Abbé Papillon's 'Bibliothèque des Auteurs de Bourgogne.' Czerwinski ('Geschichte der Tanzkunst'), without naming his authorities, gives the following additional particulars. He says that Jehan Tabourot was the son of Etienne Tabourot, a lawyer of Dijon, and from his childhood showed a great inclination for dancing, which he had learned at Poitiers. It was originally intended that he should follow his father's profession, but being attacked by a severe illness, his mother vowed that if he recovered he should become a priest. He was accordingly ordained in 1530, and was made canon of Langres in 1574.