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Spagnolette

There are a number of 16th and early 17th century dances called "Spagnoletta", a quite a lot of surviving music of the same name. The Spagnoletta for two from Il Ballarino is probably quite close to the widespread traditional dance, with the others being variations on that familiar theme. I've included them with the cascarde because so many of them are very like cascarde both musically and choreographically. However, the Chigi MS is the only source that I know of that refers to Spagnoletta as a cascarda.

A rough chronological list of surviving descriptions of dances called "Spagnoletta".

  • Cascarda ciamata Spagnioletta: Chigi MS (c. 1540-1560); brief description of a dance very like the Spagnoletta for a couple in Caroso's Il Ballarino
  • Spagnoletta: Caroso, Il Ballarino (1580); but probably an older, traditional dance. It's for a couple, and very like a cascarda.
  • Spagnoletta Nuova: Caroso, Il Ballarino (1590); a three-person variation of the traditional two-person dance. Some steps and patterns are retained, some are new.
  • Spagnoletta Nuova al modo di Madriglia: Caroso, Nobilta di Dame (1600); linear as well as circular patterns (i.e. less cascarda-like choreography); related steps, but much ornamented.
  • Spagnoletta Regolata, balletto: Caroso, Nobilta di Dame (1600); related to the Spagnoletta for two in Il Ballarino, but much ornamented.
  • Lo Spagnoletto: Negri, Le Gratie d'Amore, 1600; dance for two couples, not especially close to other Spagnolette in steps; music is also somewhat different (simple duple).
  • Spagnioletta : Santucci (c.1614); closely related to the Spagnoletta Regolata in Nobilta di Dame
  • Jacobili, 1615-20; said to be similar to Caroso's Spagnoletta for two, from Il Ballarino
  • One of the Inns of Court MSS (** check reference) has a "Spagnioletta". The choreography, from memory, looks more like Lavolta.

Music called "Spagnioletta", and concordant with that in Caroso, continued to be published well into the 17thC. There is still a folk-dance in Italy called "Spagnoletto" (so says Sparti), but I don't  know if it's related.