Bassa Imperiale

(Imperial bassa dance)

Balletto

Negri, Le Gratie d'Amore

Two couples, men back to back, women facing partner

Advanced (to regulars)



I	A1	1-8	Face partner and Take ordinary hands; Riverenza Grave		Opening	They take the hand, and make the Riverenza Grave		Pigliano la mano, e fanno la .Rx. graue
		9-16	2 Continenze left, right			two continenze to the left, & to the right		due .cz. alla sinistra, & alla destra
	A2	1-4	2 Spezzati on left, right (moving as a couple counter-clockwise)		Promenade Around	two Spezzati &		due .SP. &
		5-8	Semidoppio on left			one Seguito		vn .S.
		9-12	2 Passi Gravi on right, left			two Passi Gravi, &		due .P. graui, &
		13-16	Ripresa right (ending facing other couple on other side of set)			one Ripresa to the right proceeding forward the one to the place of the other, and turning face to face		vna .R. alla destra andando innanzi l'vno al luogo dell'altro, e voltandosi a faccia a facia

II	A1	1-4	2 Spezzati on left, right		Red Rover and Reset	Second Part. They make then two Spezzati &		Seconda Parte. Si fanno poi due .SP. &
		5-8	Semidoppio on left; quick bow			one Seguito going foward, & to the middle of the dance a little bow to the opposite.		vn .S. andando innanzi, & a mezzo'l ballo vn poco d'inchino all'incontro.
		9-16	Drop hands; Men: 2 Spezzati on right, left; Semidoppio on right (circling other man 360° by right shoulder) while Women: Scorsi (returning to starting position hooking to left)			they let go the hand, the men, they make two Spezzati and one Seguito turning where they began the dance, the women in the that time they make the same Scorsiing, & they turn to the left to face opposite.		lasciano la mano, i caualiere, e fanno due .SP. & vn .S. tornando doue si principiò'l ballo, le dame in quell tempo fanno'l medesimo scorrendo, & si voltano alla sinistra al dirimpetto.

III	A1	1-4	Take right hands; 2 Spezzati on left, right (changing places, ending right shoulders in)		Trade by R and Trampolines	Third Part. They take the right hand of the woman, and they make two Spezzati and		Terza Parte. Piglieranno la mano destra della Dma, è faranno due .SP. &
		5-8	Drop hands; Semidoppio left (curling to left)			a Seguito with the left, turning that side.		vn .S. col sinistro, volgendo esso fianco.
		9-12	2 Saltini back right, forward left			they let go of the hand and make two Saltini one backward onto the right, the other forward onto the left, and		lasciano la mano è fanno due saltini vn'indietro sopra'l destro, l'altro innanzi sopra'l sinistro, e
		13-16	Semidoppio back on right			a Seguito backward with the right;		vn .S. indietro col destro;
	A2	1-4	Take left hands; 2 Spezzati on left, right (changing places, ending left shoulders in)		Trade by L and Trampolines		they take then the left hand, and they do the same, returning to their place, and turning to the right side		pigliano poi la man sinistra, e fanno altretanto, tornando a sui luogo, e voltando'l fianco destro;
		5-8	Drop hands; Semidoppio left (curling to right; ending facing)
		9-12	2 Saltini forward right, back left			but the two Saltini they do one forward on this foot, the other backward, on the left, &		ma li due saltini si fanno vno innanzi sopra esso piede, l'altro indietro, sopra'l sinistro, &
		13-16	Semidoppio forward on right			the Seguito with the right		il .S. col destro.

IV	A1	1-4	2 Spezzati on left, right (casting to left, Men trading places, Women in place)		Cast Away for M Trade and Greet New		Fourth Part. The men do two Spezzati and a Seguito passing the one to the place of the other, and turning to the left; the women in the same time do the same in their place turning to the same hand, and		Quarta Parte. I Caualieri faranno due .SP. & vn .S. passando l'uno al luogo dell'altro, e volgendo alla sinistra; le dame in quell tempo fanno'l medesimo al suo luogo intorno ad essa mano, e
		5-8	Semidoppio on left (end facing new partner)
		9-12	2 Spezzati flanking backward on right, left				they do together, facing, two Spezzati backward, and flanking one with the right, the other with the left, and one Seguito forward with the right		fanno insieme all'incontro due .SP. breui indietro, e fiancheggiando vno col destro, l'altro col sinistro, & vn .S. innanzi col destro.
		13-16	Semidoppio forward on right

V	A1	1-4	Men: 2 Saltini left, right		M Galliard Solo L	Fifth Part. The men only do two jumps with equal weight on both feet left and right, and then		Quarta Parte. I Caualieri soli, faranno due saltini a pie pari alla sinistra, & alla destra, e poi
		5-8	Men: Face 45° left; Kick left, right, right, left			four Spezzati Gagliardi, two forward flanking towards their woman, and		quattro .SP. Gagliardi, due innanzi fiancheggiando incontro alle sue dame, e
		9-12	Men: Face 45° right; Kick left, right, right, left			two backward, beginning with the left, &		due indietro, cominciando col sinistro, &
		13-16	Men: Semidoppio forward on left			one Seguito with the same foot returning to their place.		vn .S. con esso piede tornando al suo luogo.
	A2		Men: Repeat V A1 on other side	M Galliard Solo R		then they do the same starting with the right foot, and		poi fanno altretanto cominciando col pie destro, e
	A3	1-4	Women: 2 Saltini left, right		W Spezzati Solo L		the women alone do that which has already been done by the men, standing always facing.		le dame sole faranno quello, che si è già fatto dalli caualieri stando sempre all'incontro.
		5-8	Women: 2 Spezzati flanking forward left, right
		9-12	Women: 2 Spezzati flanking backward left, right
		13-16	Women: Semidoppio forward on left
	A4		Women: Repeat V A3 on other side	W Spezzati Solo R

VI	B1	1-2	2 Saltini left, right		There and Back Again L	Sixth Part. Change of the tune. They all do together the two Saltini with equal weight on both feet, &		Sesta Parte. Mutatione della sonata. Faranno tutti insieme le due saltini à pie pari, &
		3-4	Face 45° left; Kick left, right			a Fioretto Gagliardo with the left, &		vn fioretto di gagliarda col sinistro, &
		5-8	Scorsi (trading places by right shoulder); Mezza Riverenza			a Seguito with the right, scurrying the one opposite to the other to the left of his woman, they make a mezza Riverenza turning the face, then		vn .S. col destro, scorrendo l'vno contra l'altro all'incontro alla sinistra della sua dama, si fa meza .Rx. volgendosi la facia poi
		9-12	2 Spezzati on left, right (casting left)			two Spezzati &		due .SP. &
		13-16	Semidoppio on left (returning to place)			one Seguito turning around to the left, and returning to their places		vn .S. volgendo attorno alla sinistra, e tornando al suo luogo,
	B2		Repeat VI B1 on other side	There and Back Again R		they do then the same on the right foot, sucurrying to the right of their woman. after turning themselves around to the right, they return to their place with the said actions they made above.		si farà poi altretanto sopra'l pie destro scorrendo alla destra della sua dama. doppo volgendosi intorno alla destra, tornano al sue luogo con le dette attioni fatte di sopra.

VII	B1	1-4	(Trading places by the right shoulder) Men: Passo left; Kick right, left; Passo left; Kick right, left (while) Women: Spezzati on left, right (end facing partner)		Fancy Trade then W Trade	Seventh Part. They do at the same time going forward the one towards the other; and passing the men to the left of their woman one Passo with the left, & a Fioretto Gagliardo with the right foot,		Settima Parte. Faranno insieme andando innanzi l'vno verso l'altro; e passando i Caualieri alla sinistra della sue dama vn .P. col sinistro, & vn fioretto gagliardo col pie destro,
		5-8	Men: Passo left; Kick right, left, left, right; Cadenza; Mezza Riverenza on right (while) Women: Semidoppio on left; Mezza Riverenza on right			and this they do two times. Then they stand facing at the middle of the dance and do one Passo with the right high, and two Fioretti flanking to the Cadenza with a Mezza Riverenza with the same right foot, & the women in place of this which they did, do two Spezzati & a Seguito with the left, then the Mezza Riverenza with the right;		& questo si farà due volte. doppò fermandosi all'incontro a mezo il ballo si fa vn .P. col destro alto, & due fioretti per fianco alla cadenza con meza .Rx. con esso pie destro, & le dame in cambio di questo, che si è fatto, fanno due .Sp. & vn .S. col sinistro, poi la meza .Rx. col destro;
		9-12	Spezzati on right, left (casting to right)			they do together two Spezzati and		fanno insieme due .SP. è
		13-16	Semidoppio on right (Men end in place, Women in middle trade places)			one Seguito with the same, passing the one to the place of the other, and turning in a circle to the said hand, they stand facing.		vno .S. con esso, passando l'vno al luogo dell'altro, e volgendo attorno alla detta mano, si fermano all'incontro.

VIII	B1	1-8	Women: 4 Spezzati starting on left (casting left, ending facing partner)		W Big Cast L	Eighth Part. The women only do four Spezzati in a circle turning to the left		Ottava Parte. Le dame sole faranno quattro .Sp. in vn circolo intorno alla sinistra.
		9-12	Women: two Passi Gravi on left, right (toward partner)			two Passi Gravi forward, &		due .P. graui innanzi, &
		13-16	Women: Ripresa left			one Ripresa flanking to that hand		una .R. per fianco alla detta mano,
	B2		Repeat VIII B1 to other side	W Big Cast R		they do the same turning to the right with this same foot,		si fa altretanto intorno alla destra con esso piede,
	B3	1-8	Men: 4 Spezzati starting on left (casting left, ending facing partner)		M Big Cast L	the men alone do the same which the women have done;		i caualieri soli faranno'l medesimo, c'hanno farro le dame;
		9-10	Men: two Passi Brevi on left, right (toward partner)			but the two Passi they do Breve with		ma li due .P. li faranno breui con
		11-12	Men: Kick left, right, right, left			two Fioretti Gagliardi, and		due fioretti Gagliardi, e
		13-16	Men: Ripresa left			the Riprese to the side.		la .R. per fianco.
	B4		Repeat VIII B3 to other side	M Big Cast R

IX	B1	1-4	(Trading places by the right shoulder) Men: Passo left; Kick right, left; Passo left; Kick right, left (while) Women: Semidoppio left (end facing partner)		Fancy Trade then Curl R	Ninth Part. They make at the same time a Passo with the left, & a Fioretto Gagliardo with the right, & this they do two times, going forward to the left side of their woman; and stopping facing at the middle of the dance.		Nona Parte. Faranno insieme vn .P. col sinistro, & vn fioretto gaglliardo col destro, & questo fi fa due volte, andando innanzi dalla parte sinistra della sua dama; e fermandosi all'incontro a mezo l'ballo.
		5-8	Man: Passo left; Kick left, right, right, left; Cadenza; Mezza Riverenza (while) Women: Semidoppio right; Mezza Riverenza			They make with the left high two Fioretti to the side, and the Cadenza with a Mezza Riverenze with the same foot, & the woman in place of this do two Seguiti with the Mezza Riverenza		si fanno col sinistro alto due fioretti per fianco, e la cadenza con meza .Rx. con esso piede, & le dame in cambio di questo, fanno due .S. con la meza .Rx.
		9-12	Spezzati on right, left (casting to right)			then at the same time two Spezzati and		poi insieme due .SP. e
		13-16	Semidoppio on right (ending in place)			a Seguito with the left, returning to their place, and turning to the same hand the same with the right foot, passing to the right of the woman, and returning to their place, turning in a circle to the right.		vn .S. col sinistro, tornando al suo luogo, e volgendo ad essa mano altretanto col pie destro, passando alla destra della dama, e tornando al suo luogo, volgono attorno dalla destra.

X	B1	1-8	4 Spezzati flanking, starting on left (to meet right shoulders)		Hurry Home	Tenth Part. Together they will do four Spezzati on the left, the one opposite the other flanking; and passing to the left of the woman.		Decima Parte. Faranno insieme quattro .SP. col sinistro, l'vno contra all'altro fincheggiando; e passando alla sinistra della dama.
		9-16	2 Semidoppii starting on left (Men: cast left; Women: go forward and hook right; all end at starting position)			they then do two Seguiti the women will turn to the right, & the men in that time will turn to the left, and		fanno poi due .S. le dame voltano alla destra, & i caualieri in quell tempo voltano alla sinistra,
			Take ordinary hands; Riverenza			they go to take the hand, making the end with the Riverenza where the dance began.		e vanno à pigliare la mano, facendo fine con la .Rx. doue s'è principiato'l ballo.

Imperial Bassa, introduced by the author, is danced in a group of four, two men, & two women. In honor of the most illustrious Lady, Lady Beatrice da Este. First Part. They stand the men with the two women, the one at the head, & the other at the foot of the dance opposite, as shown in the present figure, heedful that they always make to stand even with the woman, in the manner of a straight line from those, that they are opposite.

Bassa Imperiale, messa in vso dall'avttore, si balla in quattro, due Caualieri, & due Dame. In gratia della Illustrissime Signora a la Signora Donna Beatrice da Este. Prima Parte. Si fermano i Caualieri con le due Dame, l'vno in capo, & l'altro a piedi del ballo all'incontro, come mostrano le presenti figure, auuertendo, che s'hà sempre da star al pari della dama, & a dritta linea di quelle, che sono all'incontro.

Tabulated by Peter Durham based on the dance as reconstructed by Anna Mansbridge in August 2024 informed by the reconstruction in “In the Italian Manner” by the Historical Dance Society. Translated by Peter Durham. Original text transcribed from facsimile.

Notes

Reconstruction. In III A1, I read the text as taking the 2 Spezzati and the Seguito to change places by the right hand, as the instruction to drop hands comes after the Seguito. The HDS reconstruction does this. I am keeping the curling from Anna's reconstruction.

Sources. The original text for V A1 does say “Quarta Parte” in error. The lead-in from the previous page is correctly “Qvin-”.

Reconstruction. In V A1 5-12, the text says the men do .SP. (fioretti spezzati) gagliardi (the only reference to this step in the sources), HDC reconstructs this as forceful sideways Spezzati. Anna reconstructs as a hop and change based on Negri's Regola VIII. I have tabulated Anna's version as Kicks for simplicity in calling.

Reconstruction. In V A3, the text says “the women alone do that which has already been done by the men.” HDS reconstructs this as the women doing this “more gracefully,” and Anna uses regular Spezzati here. I have tabulated Anna's version.

Reconstruction. The Fioretto Gagliardo appears in sections VI, VII, and VIII. Anna has used the same step as the Fioretto Spezzato Gagliardo above. Lehner suggests in “A Manual of Sixteenth-Century Italian Dance Steps” (page 70 note 7) that these seem to refer to Negri's Regola VIII describing the Fioretto Ordinario.