Costume for a Knight, by Inigo Jones: the plumed helmet, the "heroic torso" in armour and other conventions were still employed for opera seria in the 18th century. Iñigo Jones ( July 15, 1573 &ndash June 21, 1652) is regarded as the first significant British architect, and the first to bring Opera seria (usually called dramma per musica or Melodramma serio) is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious"

The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in sixteenth and early seventeenth century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest For the film see Intermedio (film. The intermedio, or intermezzo, in the Italian Renaissance, was a theatrical performance (A public version of the masque was the pageant. ) Masque involved music and dancing, singing and acting, within an elaborate stage design, in which the architectural framing and costumes might be designed by a renowned architect, to present a deferential allegory flattering to the patron. Scenic design (also known as stage design, set design or production design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as Film or Professional actors and musicians were hired for the speaking and singing parts. Often, the masquers who did not speak or sing were courtiers: James I's Queen Consort, Anne of Denmark, frequently danced with her ladies in masques between 1603 and 1611, and Henry VIII and Charles I performed in the masques at their courts. Anne of Denmark (12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619 was Queen consort of James VI of Scots I of England and Ireland. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. In the tradition of masque, Louis XIV danced in ballets at Versailles with music by Lully. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal Château in Versailles, in France 's Île-de-France region Jean-Baptiste de Lully ( Giovanni Battista di Lulli) (ʒɑ̃batist də lyˈli in French (November 28 1632 &ndash March 22 1687 was a French Composer of Italian

Development

The masque tradition developed from the elaborate pageants and courtly shows of ducal Burgundy in the late Middle Ages. The Duchy of Burgundy was a feudal territory once existing within the Kingdom of France. Masques were typically a complimentary offering to the prince among his guests and might combine pastoral settings, mythological fable, and the dramatic elements of ethical debate. There would invariably be some political and social application of the allegory. Such pageants often celebrated a birth, marriage, change of ruler or a Royal Entry and invariably ended with a tableau of bliss and concord. The Royal Entry, also known by various other names including Triumphal Entry and Joyous Entry, embraced the ceremonial and festivities accompanying a Masque imagery tended to be drawn from Classical rather than Christian sources, and the artifice was part of the charm. Masque thus lent itself to Mannerist treatment in the hands of master designers like Giulio Romano or Inigo Jones. Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. Giulio Romano (c 1499 &ndash November 1, 1546) was an Italian painter and architect. Iñigo Jones ( July 15, 1573 &ndash June 21, 1652) is regarded as the first significant British architect, and the first to bring The New Historians, in works like the essays of Bevington and Holbrook's The Politics of the Stuart Court Masque (1998),^[1] have pointed out the political subtext of masques. New Criticism was a dominant trend in English and American Literary criticism of the mid twentieth century from the 1920s to the early 1960s At times, the political subtext was not far to seek: The Triumph of Peace, put on with a large amount of parliament-raised money by Charles I, caused great offence to the Puritans. The Triumph of Peace was a Caroline era Masque, "invented and written" by James Shirley, performed on February 3 1634 and Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, Catherine de' Medici's court festivals, often even more overtly political, were among the most spectacular entertainments of her day, although the "intermezzi" of the Medici court in Florence could rival them. Catherine de' Medici's court festivals were a series of lavish and spectacular entertainments sometimes called "magnificences" laid on by Catherine de' Medici For the film see Intermedio (film. The intermedio, or intermezzo, in the Italian Renaissance, was a theatrical performance

Dumbshow

In English theatre tradition, a dumbshow is a masque-like interlude of silent pantomime usually with allegorical content that refers to the occasion of a play or its theme, the most famous being the pantomime played out in Hamlet (III. Dumbshow also dumb show or dumb-show is a traditional term for pantomime in drama actions presented by actors onstage without spoken dialogue Pantomime (informally panto) (not to be confused with a Mime artist, referring to a theatrical performer of mime is a performance genre traditionally found An allegory (from αλλος allos "other" and el αγορευειν agoreuein "to speak in public" is a figurative mode of representation Hamlet is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601 ii). Dumbshows might be a moving spectacle, like a procession, as in Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy (1580s), or they might form a pictorial tableau, as one in the Shakespeare collaboration, Pericles, Prince of Tyre (III,i) — a tableau that is immediately explicated at some length by the poet-narrator, Gower. Thomas Kyd ( 3 November 1558 – 16 July 1594) was an English Dramatist, the author of The Spanish Tragedy The Spanish Tragedie or Hieronimo is mad againe is an Elizabethan Tragedy written by Thomas Kyd between 1582 &ndash 92 Pericles Prince of Tyre is a play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions John Gower (c 1330 – October 1408 was an English Poet, a contemporary of William Langland and a personal friend of Geoffrey Chaucer. Dumbshows were a Medieval element that continued to be popular in early Elizabethan drama, but by the time Pericles (c. English Renaissance theatre is English drama written between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642. 1607–08) or Hamlet (c. 1600–02) were staged, they were perhaps quaintly old-fashioned: “What means this, my lord?” is Ophelia's reaction. In English masques, purely musical interludes might be accompanied by a dumbshow.

Of all the arts of the Renaissance, the masque is the artistic form most alien to audiences today. The most outstanding humanists, poets and artists of the day, in the full intensity of their creative powers, devoted themselves to producing masques; and until the Puritans closed the English theaters in 1642, the masque was the highest artform in England. Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal But because of its ephemeral nature, not a lot of documentation related to masques remains, and much of what is said about the production and enjoyment of masques is still part speculation.

Origins

The masque has its origins in a folk tradition where masked players would unexpectedly call on a nobleman in his hall, dancing and bringing gifts on certain nights of the year, or celebrating dynastic occasions. The rustic presentation of "Pyramus and Thisbe" as a wedding entertainment in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream offers a familiar example. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, suggested by " The Knight's Tale " from Spectators were invited to join in the dancing. At the end, the players would take off their masks to reveal their identities.

England

In England, Tudor court masques developed from earlier guisings, where a masked allegorical figure would appear and address the assembled company— providing a theme for the occasion— with musical accompaniment; masques at Elizabeth's court emphasized the concord and unity between Queen and Kingdom. A descriptive narrative of a processional masque is the masque of the Seven Deadly Sins in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene (Book i, Canto IV). Edmund Spenser (c 1552 &ndash 13 January, 1599) was an important English Poet and Poet Laureate best known for The The Faerie Queene is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser, published first in three books in 1590 and later in six books in 1596 Later, in the court of James I, narrative elements of the masque became more significant. Plots were often on classical or allegorical themes, and were usually acted out by amateurs. At the end, the audience would join in a final dance. Ben Jonson wrote a number of masques with stage design by Inigo Jones. Benjamin Jonson ( c 11 June 1572 &ndash 6 August 1637) was an English Renaissance Dramatist Iñigo Jones ( July 15, 1573 &ndash June 21, 1652) is regarded as the first significant British architect, and the first to bring Their works are usually thought of as the most significant in the form. Sir Philip Sidney also wrote masques. Sir Philip Sidney ( November 30, 1554 &ndash October 17, 1586) became one of the Elizabethan Age's most prominent figures

Shakespeare wrote a masque-like interlude in The Tempest, understood by modern scholars to have been heavily influenced by the masque texts of Ben Jonson and the stagecraft of Inigo Jones. The Tempest is a comedy written by William Shakespeare. It is generally dated to 1610-11 and accepted as the last play written solely by him although There is also a masque sequence in his Romeo and Juliet and Henry VIII. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth is a history play by William Shakespeare, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. John Milton's Comus (with music by Henry Lawes) is described as a masque, though it is generally reckoned a pastoral play. John Milton ( 9 December, 1608 – 8 November, 1674) was an English Poet, Prose Polemicist and Comus ( A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle 1634) is a Masque in honour of chastity written by John Milton and first presented on Henry Lawes ( 5 December 1595 - 21 October 1662) was an English Musician and Composer. Pastoral, as an adjective refers to the lifestyle of Shepherds and Pastoralists moving livestock around larger areas of land according to seasons and availability

Reconstructions of Stuart masques have been few and far between. Part of the problem is that only texts survive complete; there is no complete music, only fragments, so no authoritative performance can be made without reconstruction.

The English semi-opera which developed in the latter part of the 17th century, a form in which John Dryden and Henry Purcell collaborated, borrows some elements from the masque and further elements from the contemporary courtly French opera of Jean-Baptiste Lully. Semi-opera is an early form of Opera, though the term 'dramatic opera' is more favoured amongst scholars John Dryden (– was an influential English poet Literary critic, Translator and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England Henry Purcell (ˈpɜrsəl 10 September 1659 (? – 21 November 1695 was an English Baroque Composer. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Jean-Baptiste de Lully ( Giovanni Battista di Lulli) (ʒɑ̃batist də lyˈli in French (November 28 1632 &ndash March 22 1687 was a French Composer of Italian

Eighteenth-century masques were less frequently staged. "Rule, Britannia!" started out as part of Alfred, a masque about Alfred the Great co-written by James Thomson and David Mallet which was first performed at Cliveden, country house of Frederick, Prince of Wales. Rule Britannia! is a British Patriotic song, originating from the Poem "Rule Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music Alfred the Great (also Ælfred from the Old English Ælfrēd ˈælfreːd (c James Thomson ( 11 September, 1700 &ndash 27 August, 1748) was a Scottish Poet and playwright known for his masterpiece David Mallet (or Malloch) ( c 1705–1765 was a Scottish Dramatist. Location Cliveden (pronounced CLIV-d'n is a Mansion in Buckinghamshire, England overlooking the River Thames owned by the The Prince Frederick Prince of Wales (Frederick Louis 1 February 1707 &ndash 31 March 1751) was a member of the Hanoverian and It remains among the best-known British patriotic songs up to the present, while the masque of which it was originally part is only remembered by specialist historians. Patriotism is commonly defined as love of and/or devotion to one's country

20th century

In the twentieth century, Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote Job, a masque for dancing (premiered 1930), although the work is closer to a ballet than a masque as it was originally understood. Ralph (reɪf Vaughan Williams OM (12 October 1872 &ndash 26 August 1958 was an English Composer of symphonies, Chamber music Job A Masque for Dancing is a ballet written by the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance His designating it a masque was to indicate that the modern choreography typical when he wrote the piece would not be suitable. See also, Choreography (literally "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" (circular dance see chorea) and "γραφή"

Constant Lambert also wrote a piece he called a masque, Summer's Last Will and Testament, for orchestra, chorus and baritone. Leonard Constant Lambert ( August 23, 1905 &ndash August 21, 1951) was a British composer and conductor. His title he took from Thomas Nash, whose masque^[2] was probably first presented before the Archbishop of Canterbury, perhaps at his London seat, Lambeth Palace, in 1592. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

See also

Notes

References

• Ravelhofer, Barbara, (2006), The Early Stuart Masque: Dance, Costume, and Music, Oxford University Press.
• Sabol, Andrew J. (editor), (1959), Songs and dances from the Stuart Masque. An edition of sixty-three items of music for the English court masque from 1604 to 1641, Brown University Press.
• Sabol, Andrew J. (editor), (1982), Four hundred songs and dances from the Stuart Masque, Brown University Press.

External links

• "The Elizabethan origins of the masque"
• Cambridge History of English and American Literature: Popularity of the Masque in the age of Elizabeth
• Cambridge History of English and American Literature: The Masque in Spenser
• Florimène, 1635: the next-to-last masque of the court of Charles I
• "The Masque at Ashby": John Marston's only extant masque, written for the Dowager Countess of Derby's 1607 visit to Ashby-de-la-Zouche, recreated by students
• Elizabethan Authors: Thomas Nash, Summer's Last Will and Testament on-line text and notes
• Masque of Anarchy, A Poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley