[SCA-Dance] New book on Brussels manuscript

Barbara Webb bwebb at inf.ed.ac.uk
Wed Aug 5 09:45:15 EDT 2015


I think someone here asked whether anyone had seen the new book: "The 
Brussels Basse Danse Book: A Critical Edition" (2015) by Robert Mullally.

I've got a copy and have been reading it with interest, but a number of 
issues. Specifically, Mullally argues that each 'breve' in the 
manuscript should be taken to be four beats (with further subdivision into 
3s; essentially the way Arbeau presents his basse danse 'Jouyassance').
Whereas my working assumption (which I think is fairly widespread) is that 
a basse danse breve is 2 beats of 3, i.e., a bar of 6/4. Mullally 
would have his 4/4 interpretation apply to Danse de Cleves and Roti boully
as well, which I think starts to put him on very thin ground.

I've discussed this at greater length in some posts at my blog:
http://medievalmusician.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/timing.html
http://medievalmusician.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/how-slow-for-danse-de-cleves.html
http://medievalmusician.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/roast-and-boiled.html

I'd be very happy to hear any other view points on these issues 
(discussion either on this list or in blog comments welcome).

cheers

Caitlin


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