Primary Sources

Dance Books

Web Resources

Primary Sources

Primary dance sources available on the web. This includes transcribed and facsimile copies of manuals from 1450 to 1700 or so.

Arbeau, Thoinot. Orchesographie

French dance manual published in 1589. This manual is where most of the SCA's bransles come from, and includes dances such as the pavan, basse danse, galliard and tourdion. On line facsimile from the Library of Congress.

Arbeau, Thoinot, Orchesographie

Transcription by Nicolas Graner.

Ms. 9085, Bibliothèque Royale Albert I, Brussels

The Brussels manuscript, c 1445 or thereabouts. Probably the oldest surviving dance book. Contains a large number of nearly identical basse danses. On line facsimile from the Library of Congress.

Caroso, Marco Fabritio. Il Ballarino.

Italy, 1580. Facsimile, transcription, and partial translation webbed by Greg Lindahl.

Caroso, Marco Fabritio. Nobiltà di dame

Italy, 1600. Described as the second edition of ''Il Ballarino'', this contains many new dances, updates, and omits several older dances. On line facsimile from the Library of Congress.

Cervera Ms.

1496 Spanish dance manual, just a flyleaf of 4 pages. Written in an interesting style of shorthand, contains basse danses in the French / Burgundian style. Facsimile webbed by Greg Lindahl.

Cochläus, Johannes. Hie Jnnen sindt geschriben die wellschen tenntz

This German-language manuscript was written in 1517 by Johannes Cochläus at Bologna, and sent to Willibald Pirckheimer in Nürnberg. It contains 7 dances, of which 6 have correspondences to surviving 15th century Italian dances, and one (Vite de Colei) is considerably different from the Italian dance with a similar name. Facsimile webbed by Greg Lindahl.

Lutii , Prospero. Opera Bellissima Nella Quale Si Contegono Multe Partite, Et Passeggidi Gagliarda ...

Perugia, Italy: 1589. This manual contains galliard variations and passages from late 16th C Italy. Transcription by Joseph Casazza.

Negri, Cesare. Nuove inventioni di balli

Italy, 1604. The most complex of the late 16th C Italian dance manuals, contains many balli, a large section on galliards, and the famous Il Canario.

The "Il Papa" Manuscript

Early 1500's dance manuscript containing some dances that are transitional between the 15th and 16th C styles of Italian dance. On line transcription by Joseph Casazza and Elizabeth Cain.

Playford, The English Dancing Master

Published in England in 1651, this is where all of our country dances come from. Transcribed by Filip of the Marche.

Salisbury Ms.

An english translation of a lost 15th C French basse danse manual.