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Il Brando Gentile
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The brando is danced by four people, in a square, facing inwards.
Typically two men and two women: stand opposite the other person of the same gender as yourself (or the person taking that role in the dance). If you are a woman, the man to your left is your partner, the man to your right will be referred to as your corner. If you are a man, the woman to your right is your partner, and the woman to your left will be referred to as your corner.
First Part: four verses
This is done to the first phrase of Negri's music, played four times. The rhythm is alternating 6/4 and 4/4, so the beat for the dancers feels like "slow-- slow-- fast- fast-" (unless the musicians regularise the rhythm, as some recordings do). This is part one through four in Negri's text.
- Riverenza; Jump left, jump right
- Chorus:
- Seguito ordinario, each person turning in place, to the left
- Tap your right foot on the ground, hopping on it; tap your left foot on the ground, hopping on it, and land with both feet together - I call this as "boingely-boingely-boing" (silly, but it works). Do this holding both hands with your partner.
- Chorus: turn in place, then boingely-boingely-boing holding both hands with your corner
- Chorus: turn in place, then boingely-boingely-boing in a circle not holding hands
- Chorus: turn in place, then boingely-boingely-boing all holding hands in a circle
Second Part: new music, four verses
The music comes in many parts, and Negri's description of the repeat structure doesn't quite match the actual number of sections listed.
We danced to the Copenhagen Musicians, on "In the Italian Manner: Dances from the Royal Courts of Europe, c. 1600".
Katherine Davies, 2017
IL BRANDO GENTILE, by the Author, danced by four, two gentlemen and two ladies.
In honour of the illustrious lady, Lady Clara Settala è Carcana.
FIRST PART
All four stop in the middle of the room, in a square, as in the figure; and together they do the short riverenza, two saltini [little jumps] to the left and the right, one seguito turning around to the left, and taking both hands with their own women with a little bow, a they do two battute in saltino [stamps with little jumps, or jumped stamps] with the right foot, and the left, with a saltino à piè pari [little jump with even feet], these battute, and the saltino are done at the end of each of these first parts of the brando.
SECOND PART
Together they do one passo [step] and one sottopiede, and one saltino in ripresa to the left flank and they do the same to the right flank, and then one seguito turning around to the left; taking both hands with the other lady, and they two the battute with saltino, as was done above with the saltino à piè pari.
THIRD PART
Together they do four spezzati going around to the left hand, each returning to their own place. Then one seguito turning around to the left, without taking hands, and turning themselves face to face the battute, as above with the saltino.
FOURTH PART
They do together two ripresa to the left and the right one seguito turning around to the left, and all four together taking by both hands they do the battute, as above with the saltino.
Variation of the tune.
FIFTH PART
They do together four seguiti two going to the left, and two turning themselves around to the outside, and returning to their own places, they will do a seguito with the left, the one opposite/facing/meeting the other, turning that flank a saltino on that said foot with the right raised behind a sottopiede, and with that one saltino with the left raised, and two passi turning around to that said hand, one with that said foot and the other with the right, and then the cadenza with a saltino a piè pari. These seguiti and saltini and passi turning around they do at the end of all these four parts.
SIXTH PARTH
The gentlemen take the right hands of their own ladies, and do two seguiti one passing into the place of the other, and turning themselves face to face, athen they do the other seguito taking the left hand and returning to their own places. Then the gentlemen release and they do two seguiti turning around to the left, the ladies in the same time do two riprese to the left and the right, and together they do the seguito and the saltini and the passi turning, as they did above.
SEVENTH PART
The gentlemen take the right hands of the other ladies and they do together the same seguiti passing the one into the place of the other; then taking the left hands they return to their own palces and do the aforementioned riprese to the left and the right, and the ladies at the same time do two seguiti turning around to the left, and they do together the seguito and the saltini and the passi turning, as they did above.
EIGHTH PART
Together they do two seguiti one opposite/meeting each other going forwards and the other seguito turning around to the left; and then they do four spezzati a little backwards, the one opposite the other, flankingly, and they do the seguito and the saltini and the passi turning, as they did above.
Variation of the tune.
NINTH PART
The gentlemen alone do two riprese to the left and to the right two passi and a saltino turning around to the left, three passi one backwards, and two forwards, with the said foot, two trabucchetti one over that foot and the other over the right foot. Two passi and a saltino, as they did, turning around to the left with that foot. The ladies alone will do the same riprese and the actions that were done above, raising the body a little in place of the saltini.
Variation of the tune.
TENTH PART
The gentlemen alone will do two puntate one forwards with the left turning that flank, the other backwrds wtih the right foot, two seguiti one turning to that flank and the other seguito turning the left then they do four spezzati turning around to that left hand. The ladies alone will do the same puntate and the seguiti adn the spezzati that were done above.
Variation of the tune.
ELEVENTH PART
The gentlemen will take both the hands of their own ladies, and do a ripresa of four saltini with the left turning around by that hand, and going each into the place of the other, and then they do four trabucchetti on the right foot, and on the left then they return to do ripresa to the right hand with the said foot returning to their own places and they do the trabucchetti as above with the left.
Variation of the tune
TWELFTH PART
The gentlemen alone will do two saltini, one to the left, and the other to the right, two seguiti the one passing into the place of the other, and turning themselves face to face they do a little bow [un poco inchino] to the other lady, then returning to their own places with the other seguito they do another little bow to their own ladies, and all together they do two seguiti turning around to the left. The ladies alone do the saltini and the seguiti as they did above, and all together they do the seguiti turning around to their own places.
Variation of the tune in the first part.
THIRTEENTH PART
The gentlemen take the right hands of their own ladies, passing into the middle. Then taking te left hands of the other [ladies] passing by the outsdie, and they do four spezzati and two seguiti in a hay [treccia] taking hands four times, and returning each one to his own place.
FOURTEENTH PART
Together they do a passo and a sottopiede, and a saltino in ripresa to the left flank, and this they do another time to the right. They do two spezzati flankingly backwards, one opposite the other, and one seguito forwards with the left foot. The they do together the riverenza to gracefully finish the dance.
The notation for the music for Brando Gentile, with the intabulation for the lute. The first part is done four times, the second four, the third twice, the fourth twice, the fifth twice, the sixth twice then they return to do the first part twice, and so the brando is finished.
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