De Pratica Seu Arte Tripudii: "On the Practice or Art of Dancing" (Clarendon Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Guglielmo Ebreo of Pesaro (Author), Barbara Sparti (Translator), Michael Sullivan (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 13, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0198165749 | ISBN-13: 978-0198165743

This important new sourcebook is the first publication in simultaneous Italian and English translation of the important 1463 dance treatise "On the Practice or Art of Dancing" by Guglielmo Ebreo--William the Jew--dancing master at the most influential courts in Renaissance Italy. It includes choreographies and music for thirty-six dances, a theory of the dance (still valid today), and Guglielmo's first-hand account of the festivities in which he took part. Sparti has provided an extensive introduction, appendices containing significant theoretical, musical, and choreographic additions from a later copy, a bibliography, biographical notes, illustrations, and a glossary.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sparti has produced a book that should interest a wide range of scholars....Sparti has not only made an important primary source readily available, she has provided an up-to-date and succinct introduction to an essential skill of the Renaissance courtier."--Renaissance Quarterly

"Barbara Sparti has provided dance historians, musicologists, and interested performers with a valuable resource....Both the editorial procedures adopted for this edition and the elegant layout of the text, with the English translation facing the original Italian text, make this edition easy to use....Sparti opens up the area of fifteenth-century Italian court dance to the nonspecialist reader and provides a scholarly, well-researched, and well-written source for those who wish to perform these dances."--Speculum

"In her Preface to the book, Sparti acknowledges that the book consumed about a dozen years of labor. For the historical dance community, this book was worth the wait. Sparti has given us a comprehensive, scholarly, and very accessible resource....True to the highest standards of historical dance scholarship, Sparti provides the original Italian text on the left-hand page, paired with the English translation on the right. Moveover, Sparti made the decision to use the original Italian dance terminology in the English translation. The decision earns Sparti the gratitude of students of historical dance....Sparti's scholarship and presentation of the material makes this book a practical tool for performing artists....Sparti sets the highest standards of scholarship for historical dance scholars and translators. Oxford University Press should take great pride in publishing this excellent model for dance research."--Sixteenth Century Journal

"[An] excellent edition of Guglielmo Ebreo's dance treatise....A thorough and reliable edition..."--Early Music Today

"This edition and translation of De pratica is a labor of love, careful scholarship, and surpassing expertise."--Journal of Modern History

Language Notes

Text: English, Italian (translation)
Original Language: Italian

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 13, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198165749
• ISBN-13: 978-0198165743
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,601,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative intro and translation of 15th C. manuscript, August 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: De Pratica Seu Arte Tripudii: "On the Practice or Art of Dancing" (Clarendon Paperbacks) (Paperback)

Anyone who is interested in reconstructing 15-16th Century Italian dance will find this book very practical, and I recommend it very highly indeed. A great deal of effort has been put into the introductory chapters which describe not only the origins and history of the document itself but also a great deal about the life of its author Guglielmo Ebreo (William the Jew, later known as Giovanni Ambrosio). These chapters provide a useful insight into upper class life of the period. The translation itself is presented in the most practical possible fashion, with the original Italian and corresponding English translation on facing pages. This makes it possible for an English-speaking reconstructor to rely mainly on the English text while still having the option of going back to the original words if clarification or a different interpretation might be possible. The music has been converted to modern notation, which makes it accessible to all musicians rather than restricting it to the scholarly minority. For dancers, this is good news. *** If you're into Renaissance dance, buy this book! ***