The masque: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| (3 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
The masque was a particular form of court entertainment which became popular during the reign of [[James I]] (1603-1625) and his son [[Charles I]] (1625-1649). It was a mixture of theatre played by amateurs, a fancy dress party and a ball. The masques usually took place in the [[Banqueting House]] in London. | The masque was a particular form of court entertainment which became popular during the reign of [[James I]] (1603-1625) and his son [[Charles I]] (1625-1649). It was a mixture of theatre played by amateurs, a fancy dress party and a ball. The masques usually took place in the [[Banqueting House, Whitehall]] in London. | ||
== The two parts of the masque == | == The two parts of the masque == | ||
The first part was called "anti-masque" and was performed by professional actors. They normally performed a play in a world of disorder | The first part was called "anti-masque" and was performed by professional actors. They normally performed a play in a world of disorder, these performances were often combined with comic elements. | ||
In the second part everyone from the audience was involved in the play. The participants, all of them members of the court, started to dance and with their dances brought back order and grace, metaphorically | In the second part everyone from the audience was involved in the play. The participants, all of them members of the court, started to dance and with their dances brought back order and grace, metaphorically speaking. This part usually faded into a ball that could last all night long. | ||
The performance was accompanied by lighting and mechanical effects which made the event an overwhelming experience. With the help of these effects the audience celebrated the royal power and thus created a synthesis of the arts which included music, architecture, performance and painting. All masques that were held in the Banqueting House had an underlying allegorical meaning to show the splendor of the monarchy. | |||
Limon, Jerzy (1990): ''The Masque of Stuart Culture: Patient Fortitude in the English Civil War''. University of Delaware Press. | == Sources == | ||
* http://www.hrp.org.uk/BanquetingHouse/TheMasque.aspx | |||
* Limon, Jerzy (1990): ''The Masque of Stuart Culture: Patient Fortitude in the English Civil War''. University of Delaware Press. | |||
Latest revision as of 10:16, 26 May 2010
The masque was a particular form of court entertainment which became popular during the reign of James I (1603-1625) and his son Charles I (1625-1649). It was a mixture of theatre played by amateurs, a fancy dress party and a ball. The masques usually took place in the Banqueting House, Whitehall in London.
The two parts of the masque
The first part was called "anti-masque" and was performed by professional actors. They normally performed a play in a world of disorder, these performances were often combined with comic elements. In the second part everyone from the audience was involved in the play. The participants, all of them members of the court, started to dance and with their dances brought back order and grace, metaphorically speaking. This part usually faded into a ball that could last all night long.
The performance was accompanied by lighting and mechanical effects which made the event an overwhelming experience. With the help of these effects the audience celebrated the royal power and thus created a synthesis of the arts which included music, architecture, performance and painting. All masques that were held in the Banqueting House had an underlying allegorical meaning to show the splendor of the monarchy.
Sources
- http://www.hrp.org.uk/BanquetingHouse/TheMasque.aspx
- Limon, Jerzy (1990): The Masque of Stuart Culture: Patient Fortitude in the English Civil War. University of Delaware Press.