violin. From other references and pictorial evidence, we know that this was the favorite
instrument for performing all types of music in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Although only a small repertory has survived, poetic and musical, for the dance forms,
the literature attests the vast popularity of all the dances in the courtly circles from the
11th to the late 14th century. Typical is the reference by Jean Maillart in his Roman du
comte d’Anjou (ca. 1300), which includes dances within a courtly setting of various
musical performances: “Then the linen was taken up, and when they had washed their
hands, the caroles began. Those ladies who had sweet voices sang loudly: everyone
answered them joyfully, anyone who knew how to sing, sang thus.... Some sang
pastourelles about Robichon and Amelot, others played on vielles chansons royales and
estampies, dances and notas. On lute and psaltery, each according to his preference
[played] lais of love, descorts and ballades in order to entertain those who were ill.”
Many more references to dance can be found, often in conjunction with instruments.
But dances are also mentioned as songs to be sung without instruments, as in Raimon de
Cornet’s poem (ca. 1320): “A jongleur would rapidly learn stanzas and many little verses,
cansos, and basses danses.” This reference is the first known mention of the basse danse,
which would become quite popular as an instrumental form in the 15th and 16th
centuries. The implication here is that in the 14th century the basse danse was a vocal
form, but none is known to have survived.
In spite of the number of dance names that are found in the sources, we have detailed
information about only a few. Those that were also poetic forms are discussed in poetry
treatises, such as the dansa, described in the Catalan treatise Doctrina de compondre
dictatz (ca. 1300): “If you wish to compose a dansa, you should speak well and
pleasingly of love in whatever state of mind that you may be in. And you should compose
it with three stanzas, and no more, with a repost, with one or two tornadas, as you may
think fit; it should always have a new tune.... A dansa is so called because it is normally
sung while dancing, hence it should should have a pleasing tune; and it is sung with
instruments and pleases everyone who sings and hears it.” In this case, we have a clear
picture of the dansa; it is unfortunate that none of the melodies for this poetic form has
come down to us. Not all descriptions are so detailed; the early 14th-century treatise Leys
d’amors by Guillaume Molinier supplies the name of a dance form called the bal, which
was usually “composed as an instrumental tune and then supplied with words,” but no
further information is given. A vocal composition from the same time was known as
“ballade,” having a form related to the rondeau, and this may be what is referred to in the
treatise.
The other source of description of late-medieval dance forms is Grocheio’s music
treatise, which identifies the secular dances “round” (rotundellus), estampie (stantipes),
carole (ductia), and nota. The form of the secular round (rondeau) is the same as the
sacred form discussed above; the music for both the estampie and carole is distinct from
that of the rondeau in that they have separate melodic material for the verse and refrain.
Further, both estampie and carole have separate vocal and instrumental forms, the main
difference being that for the vocal dances a single musical setting is repeated with each
new verse, whereas the instrumental dances are composed of many sets of musical verses
all ending with the same refrain.
Grocheio describes the estampie as a complicated dance, remarking that it causes
young men and women to concentrate because of its difficulty. The Doctrina adds the
Medieval france: an encyclopedia 550