- Dansa
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A dansa (Occitan: [ˈdansɔ], Catalan: [ˈdansə] or [ˈdansa]; modern Occitan spelling: dança) was an Occitan form of lyric poetry developed in the late thirteenth century among the troubadours. It is related to the English term "dance" and was often accompanied by dancing. A closely related form, the balada or balaresc, had a more complex structure, and is related to the ballade but unrelated to the ballad. Both terms derive from Occitan words for "to dance": dansar and balar/ballar.
A dansa begins with a respos of one or two lines, whose rhyme scheme matches that of the first line or two of each subsequent cobla. The actual respos may have been repeated between stanzas, of which there were usually three, as a refrain. The few surviving melodies of dansas seem like incipient virelais. The verses of the dansa were sung by a soloist while the refrain was sung by a choir. A dansa lacking a vuelta is called a danseta.
In a balada each stanza is divided into three parts. The first part and second part are identical, each ending with the same rhyme as the first line of the poem. The third part of the stanza is identical to the refrain (refranh) in form. The refrain, which begins the song, is repeated after each stanza. In a balada the lines of the choir and the soloist could mix.
A desdansa (or desdança) was the opposite of a dansa, not in form but in content. Whereas a dansa had joyful lyrics and lively music, a desdansa was sad and lamenting, much like a planh designed for dance. The desdansa is defined, and exemplified, in the Cançoneret de Ripoll.
List of dansas and baladas
balada baladeta dansa hybrid genre
Composer[1] Incipit (i.e. title) Date[2] Notes Guiraut d'Espaigna Be volgra, s'esser pogues Guiraut d'Espaigna Domna, si tot no.us es preza Guiraut d'Espaigna Gen m'auci Guiraut d'Espaigna Ges ancara Guiraut d'Espaigna Lo fi cor qu'ie.us ai Sometimes called a balada or dansa Guiraut d'Espaigna No posc plus sofrir Guiraut d'Espaigna Na Ses Merce Guiraut d'Espaigna Per amor soi gai A pastorela in the form of a dansa Guiraut d'Espaigna Pos ses par Guiraut d'Espaigna Sa gaja semblansa Guiraut d'Espaigna Si la bela que.m plai no.m plai Guiraut d'Espaigna Si.l dous jois d'amor Guiraut d'Espaigna Si no.m secor domna gaja Paulet de Marseilla Bela domna plazens, ai Serveri de Girona A la pluga a.l vent iran A balada that Serveri labels an espingadura Serveri de Girona Com es ta mal ensenyada A dansa that Serveri labels a peguesca Serveri de Girona No.l prenatz los fals marit iana delgada A balada that Serveri labels a viadeyra Serveri de Girona Pus on vey leys Serveri de Girona Si voletz que.m laix d'amar Serveri de Girona Tant ay el cor d'alegrança' A sirventes–dansa Serveri de Girona Tot can cors dezira Uc de Saint Circ Una danseta voil far A l'entrada del tens clar Amors m'art con fuoc ab flama Perhaps a fragmentary canso Ara l'ausetz Perhaps a parody (parodique) of a dansa Coindeta sui, si cum n'ai greu cossire D'amor m'estera ben e gent Mort m'an li semblan que ma dona.m fai Plazens plasers, tant vos am e.us dezir Consists of a single cobla Pos la dousor del temps gay Pos qu'ieu vey la fuella Two coblas, perhaps a single canso Pres soi ses faillencha Two coblas, perhaps a single canso Quant lo gilos er fora S'anc vos Se nus hom per ben servir Si tot chantar non m'enansa Tant es gay'es avinentz A fragment: two coblas, probably of a dansa, perhaps a canso Notes
References
- Aubrey, Elizabeth (1996). The Music of the Troubadours. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-21389-4.
- Riquer, Martí de (1964). Història de la Literatura Catalana, vol. 1. Barcelona: Edicions Ariel.
Categories:- Western medieval lyric forms
- Occitan literary genres
- Dance styles
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