The ''saltarello'' is a musical dance originally from

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The first mention of it is in Add MS 29987, a late-fourteenth- or early fifteenth-century manuscript of Tuscan origin, now in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Briti ...

. It was usually played in a fast triple meter and is named for its peculiar leaping step, after the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

verb ''saltare'' ("to jump"). This characteristic is also the basis of the German name ''Hoppertanz'' or ''Hupfertanz'' ("hopping dance"); other names include the French ''pas de Brabant'' and the Spanish ''alta'' or ''alta danza''.

History

The saltarello enjoyed great popularity in the courts of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. During the 14th century, the word saltarello became the name of a particular dance step (a double with a hop on the final or initial upbeat), and the name of a meter of music (a fast triple), both of which appear in many choreographed dances. Entire dances consisting of only the saltarello step and meter are described as being improvised dances in 15th-century

dance manuals. (The first dance treatise that dealt with the saltarello was the 1465 work of Antonio Cornazzano.) A clearer, detailed description of this step and meter appears in a 16th-century manuscript in Madrid's Academia de la Historia. During this era, the saltarello was danced by bands of

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or othe ...

s dressed as men at

masquerade Masquerade or Masquerader may refer to: Events * Masquerade ball, a costumed dance event * Masquerade ceremony, a rite or cultural event in many parts of the world, especially the Caribbean and Africa * Masqueraders, the performers in the West ...

s. The saltarello gave birth to the '' quadernaria'' in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, which was then fused into the ''saltarello Tedesco'' (German saltarello) in Italy. This "German saltarello", in contrast to the Italian variety, was in duple time and began on the downbeat, and was also known by the name ''quaternary''. In 1540, Hans Neusidler published an Italian dance under the name ''Hupff auff'' (introductory skip), and identified it with a parenthetical subtitle: "saltarella".

As a folk dance

Although a Tuscan court dance in origin, the ''saltarello laziale'' became the typical Italian folk dance of

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and a favorite tradition of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in the

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival t ...

and vintage festivities of

Monte Testaccio Monte Testaccio (; alternatively spelled Monte Testaceo; also known as Monte dei cocci) is an artificial mound in Rome composed almost entirely of ''testae'' ( it, cocci), fragments of broken ancient Roman pottery, nearly all discarded amphorae d ...

. After witnessing the Roman Carnival of 1831, the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

composer Felix Mendelssohn incorporated the dance into the finale of one of his masterpieces, the Italian Symphony. The only example of a saltarello in the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

is ''saltarello romagnolo'' of Romagna. The saltarello is still a popular folk dance played in the regions of southern-central Italy, such as Abruzzo,

Molise it, Molisano (man) it, Molisana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 ...

(but in these two regions the name is feminine: ''Saltarella''),

and Marche. The dance is usually performed on the zampogna bagpipe or the organetto, a type of diatonic button accordion, and is accompanied by a or hand-drum.

Medieval saltarelli

The principal source for the medieval Italian saltarello is the Tuscan manuscript Add MS 29987, dating from the late 14th or early 15th century and now in the

. The musical form of these four early saltarelli is similar to that of the

estampie The estampie (french: estampie, Occitan and ca, estampida, it, istanpitta) is a medieval dance and musical form which was a popular instrumental and vocal form in the 13th and 14th centuries. The name was also applied to poetry. Musical form T ...

.Lawrence H. Moe (2003), "Saltarello", ''The Harvard Dictionary of Music'', fourth edition, edited by Don Michael Randel (Cambridge: Belknap Press for the Harvard University Press) However, they are in different metres: two are in '' senaria imperfecta'', and two in '' quaternaria''. No choreographies survive from before the 1430s, and it is not clear that these four dances have any relationship to later saltarelli.

In classical music

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included a saltarello in ''Het derde musikboexken: Danserye'' (1551). * A guitar piece entitled "Saltarello" is attributed to

Vincenzo Galilei Vincenzo Galilei (born 3 April 1520, Santa Maria a Monte, Italy died 2 July 1591, Florence, Italy) was an Italian lutenist, composer, and music theorist. His children included the astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei and the lute virtuoso and ...

, written in the 16th century. *

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: ''Six morceaux de salon'', for alto-viola and piano (no. 6 is a saltarello) * Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy used the Saltarello for the fourth movement of his Symphony No. 4 "Italian". * Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: ''Il saltarello romano'', for piano, Op. 6, No. 4 * Charles-Valentin Alkan wrote a "Saltarelle" Op. 23, and in the final movement of his Sonate de Concert Op. 47 for piano and cello, "Finale alla Saltarella". * Berlioz used a saltarello in the Carnival scene of ''Benvenuto Cellini'' which was reprised in the Roman Carnival Overture. * Joachim Raff: Saltarello, for piano, Op. 108 *

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

: Saltarello for orchestra * Camille Saint-Saëns: Saltarelle, for men's choir, Op. 74 * Camille Saint-Saëns: the last movement of the Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 22 is a Saltarelle * Eugène Ketterer: Saltarelle, for piano, Op. 266 * Daniel van Goens: Saltarello for cello and piano, Op. 35 * Ernst Haberbier: Saltarello for piano. Op. 54 * Max Mayer: Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 6 (no. 3 is "Alla saltarello") * F. Laurent-Rollandez: Saltarello for piano, Op. 18 *

Franz Ries Franz Ries (Berlin, 7 April 1846 – Naumburg, 20 January 1932) was a Romantic German violinist and composer, son of Hubert Ries. He studied at the Paris Conservatory. He also worked in the publishing business. Career His talent formed under the ...

: Nocturne et Saltarello, for violin and piano *

S. B. Mills S is the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet. S may also refer to: History * an Anglo-Saxon charter's number in Peter Sawyer's, catalogue Language and linguistics * Long s (ſ), a form of the lower-case letter s formerly used where "s ...

: Saltarello, for piano, Op. 26 * Bernhard Molique: Saltarella, for violin and piano, Op. 55 * H. T. Manicus: Saltarello, for piano * George Grothe: Saltarello Galop, for piano *

Emil Kronke Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *''Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *''Emil and the Detective ...

: Saltarello, for piano, Op. 32 *

George Frederick Bristow George Frederick Bristow (December 19, 1825 – December 13, 1898) was an American composer. He advocated American classical music, rather than favoring European pieces. He was famously involved in a related controversy involving William Hen ...

: Saltarello, for piano * August Marten: ''4 Charakterstücke'' for violin and piano, Op. 8 (no. 2 is a saltarello) *

Georg Goltermann :''Georg Eduard Goltermann should not be confused with Julius Goltermann (1825–1876), the cello teacher of David Popper.'' Georg Eduard Goltermann (19 August 1824 – 29 December 1898) was a German cellist, composer and conductor. Life Golter ...

: Saltarello, for cello and piano, Op. 59, No. 2 * Gustav Satter: Saltarello, for piano, Op. 147 * Gabriel Verdalle: Salatarello for solo harp, Op. 23 * One of

Frank Bridge Frank Bridge (26 February 187910 January 1941) was an English composer, violist and conductor. Life Bridge was born in Brighton, the ninth child of William Henry Bridge (1845-1928), a violin teacher and variety theatre conductor, formerly a m ...

's ''Miniatures for Piano Trio'' is a saltarello (No 5) * Jean Antiga: ''Saltarello: danse italienne'', for piano *

George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanian composer, violinist, conductor and teacher. Regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history, Enescu is featured on the Romanian five lei. Biogr ...

: Nocturne et Saltarello, for cello and piano *

Theodor Kullak Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor. List of people with the given name Theodor * Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher * Theodor Aman, Romanian painter * Theodor Blue ...

: Saltarello di Roma, for piano, Op. 49 * Carl Gottschalksen: ''Saltarello: Sorento ved Napoli: Italiensk Suite 3'', for piano *

Edward German Sir Edward German (17 February 1862 – 11 November 1936) was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur Sullivan in the field of En ...

: Saltarello, for flute or piccolo and piano *

Anton Strelezki Arthur Bransby Burnand (Croydon 1859 -1907) was an English composer. He studied in Germany with Clara Schumann but settled in London. His songs and piano pieces were popular before World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), ...

: ''Saltarello, danza napolitana'', for piano, Op. 18 * Henri Piccolini: ''Saltarello one-step'', for orchestra *

Sydney Smith Sydney Smith (3 June 1771 – 22 February 1845) was an English wit, writer, and Anglican cleric. Early life and education Born in Woodford, Essex, England, Smith was the son of merchant Robert Smith (1739–1827) and Maria Olier (1750–1801) ...

: Saltarello, for piano four-hands * Jules Demersseman: ''Solo de Concert'', Op. 82 No. 6 for flute and piano. The closing movement is entitled "Saltarello" *

Leonardo De Lorenzo Leonardo De Lorenzo (August 29, 1875 – July 29, 1962) was an Italian virtuoso flutist and music educator. Biography Born at Viggiano, in the province of Potenza, De Lorenzo started playing the flute at the age of 8 and went to Naples to at ...

: Saltarello, for flute, op. 27 * Paul Mason: Saltarello, for piano * Émile-Robert Blanchet: Saltarello, for piano *

Anton Schmoll Anton may refer to: People * Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Anton (surname) Places * Anton Municipality, Bulgaria ** Anton, Sofia Province, a village * Antón District, Panama ** Antón, a town and capital ...

: Saltarello, for piano, Op. 50, No. 19 * Jeraldine Saunders Herbison: Saltarello, for cello and piano, Op. 30, no. 2 * Maurice Jean Baptiste Ghislain Guillaume: Capriccietto, Canzona, and Saltarello, for clarinet and piano, Op. 23 * Guido Papini: Saltarello (Souvenir de Sorrento), for violin and piano, Op. 55, No. 2 * Charles Robert Yuille-Smith: Saltarello, for cello and piano * Adolf Terschak: Saltarella for flute, 'cello, piano, Op. 20 * Charles Spinks: Dance Suite, for piano, Op. 12 (the second movement is a saltarello) *

Bernard Wagenaar Bernard Wagenaar (July 18, 1894 – May 19, 1971) was a Dutch-American composer, conductor and violinist. Wagenaar was born in Arnhem. He studied at Utrecht University before starting his career as a teacher and conductor in 1914. He moved to ...

: Saltarello for piano * Germain Digmeloff: ''Pour un anniversaire: Saltarello'' * Kris Dorsey: ''Shanty Saltarello (What Can You Do with a Drunken Sailor?)'', for brass quintet *

Malcolm Forsyth Malcolm Forsyth, (December 8, 1936 – July 5, 2011) was a South African and Canadian Trombone, trombonist and composer. His daughter is former National Arts Centre, National Arts Centre Orchestra principal cellist Amanda Forsyth. Life and ca ...

: Saltarello for brass quintet * Robert Planel: Prélude et saltarelle, for alto saxophone and piano * Lauren Bernofsky: Saltarello for C (or E) trumpet and piano * Jean-François Michel: Intrada, canzonetta e saltarello, for B cornet or trumpet and piano * Antonius Streichardt: Saltarello, for Zupforchester * Germaine Tailleferre: String Quartet (third movement)

Sources

{{reflist, refs= Meredith Ellis Little ( .d..
Saltarello
, in: Deane Root (ed.), ''Grove Music Online''. ''Oxford Music Online''. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. Accessed December 2017. {{subscription required. Timothy J. McGee (2014). ''Medieval Instrumental Dances''. Bloomington; Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.{{isbn, 9780253013149. Italian dances Renaissance dance Dance forms in classical music Culture in le Marche