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Originally, the Tarantella (Pronounced As: târntel) was a legitimate Italian folk dance of lower to middle classes. The Tarantella has gone
by many odd and similar spellings such as Tarentule, Tarantel, Tarantella, and Tarentella . The name essentially means in English "Tarantula Spider (pronounced tranchl.") In Buzabatt, (near
Kashan, Persia), it was reported that a Tarantella dance existed just as in Sicily. If the spider specified as "Stellis" had poisoned anyone, they were advised to dance to the sound of music.
It was considered severely unlucky to dance the Tarantella alone, so it was danced as a couple or by two females
(Goethe says three,) which was |
probably more due to the boredom of dancing it alone. Love and pleasure are apparent throughout
this dance. Each motion, each gesture, is made with the most voluptuous
gracefulness. Animated by the accompanying mandolins, tambourines
and castanets, the woman tries, by her rapidity and liveliness,
to excite the love of her partner, who, in his turn, endeavors
to charm her with his agility, elegance, and demonstrations of
tenderness. The two dancers would unite, separate, return, fly
into each other's arms, again bound away, and in their unlike
gestures alternately express love, coquetry and inconstancy.
How long has it been around, I don't really know,
but the earliest writings I can find mention the St. Vitus dance
in 1374 and nothing until Jean Coaralli, who in 1839 produced
the ballet called "La Tarentule."Madame Michau (c.1840's)
introduced the dance to the dancing public in 1844 (this version
was often used in ballets.) However, it was said that: "to
dance the Tarantella in ballroom circles, as they danced it at
Naples would be impossible" and going on to say "Therefore,
when Madame Michau introduced it in London in 1844, she made a
selection of only about eight steps or figures, that had great
mastery among the higher classes there."
There are three sources for
the origination of this dance.
1) One is the
bite of the Tarantula, Arania or Apulian Spider (= Lycosa Tarantula)
or Wolf Spider (Tarantula being most popular.) The dance
was used apparently to cure the bite of the spider (a cure
if you will.) The bite of the spider was presumed to make
one hallucinate. The town's folk will play music while the afflicted
person would dance nonstop, to ward off the spider's venom.
2) Others say
when bitten, the Tarantula spiders venom, would make the person
uncontrollably move about as if dancing. In 1374 (other reports
say 1021), an "Outbreak of Dancing in the Middle Ages
" referred to as the St. Vitus Dance that went unexplained
until the realization that these dancers had been bitten by the
Tarantula spider. (1374 - Aachen, Germany-dancing madness,
lasting hours, believed due to the bite of the Tarantula Spider,
also considered to be first dance
marathon in history.)
3) The Third
story is of the town's named Toranto and Tarentum, its supposed
origin. Women working in the fields, who would be bit by the Tarantula
spider would dance off the venom. It is said that having been
found that profuse perspiration, which seemed to force the poison
out through the pores of the body, was the only remedy for the
bite of this venomous spider, and as exercise was their chief
means of inducing perspiration. (Many believed back then that
the this Spider's bite to be deadly, and during those times, there
was no anti venom available.)
St. Vitus Dance...
The Religious story says (Nuremberg Chronicles-1493);
"young people of Saxony were dancing in the churchyard of
St. Magnus . There were fifteen youths and four maidens and they
danced so much and sang so loudly that they disturbed the priest,
who was saying mass. He left the chapel and came out to them,
asking them to desist; but, heedless of his injunction, they continued
their sport. The priest then prayed to God and to St. Magnus to
make them dance for a whole year as a punishment. The writer,
says that a girl's arm came off in the hand of her partner, but
she danced on; that they felt neither rain, nor cold, nor heat,
nor hunger, thirst, or fatigue; their shoes and their clothes
wore out, but they danced on. They trod down the ground to such
an extent that they made a deep hole in it, but they danced on;
and only at the end of a year did their release come. The rage
became endemic, and in 1374, the number of sufferers from the
St. Vitus dance became enormous. In France, it was called "Danse
de St. Guy," and in Germany, it took the name of "Veith
," In Lorraine, it was called "La Danse de St. Jean.
" as well as being named others such as Choromania, Tanplage
and Dance of St. Modesti.
Tarantismus...
The new American Encyclopedia (1870) gives the most
reasonable version, which in conformity to truth. Quote: "It
(the disease) was long supposed to be caused by the bite
of a large spider called the "Arania Tarantula. " Nevertheless,
just as scarcely, any of those afflicted with it, had any consciousness
of having been bitten by a spider or any other insect. As it had
been in every instance propagated mainly by physical contagion,
like Chorea, Demonomania, and other kindred affections. There
was every reason to believe its origin from a similar cause. "
Whatever its origin however, all authors agree that music and
dancing was the established and almost universal in remedy.
1) Carlo Blasis writes in the
1860s:
"Claritio and Serrao, two Neapolitan physicians,
have proved by various experiments, that all that has been said with regard to the bite of the Tarantella spider, is false. The terrible accounts given of it arise from ignorance and prejudice, and are propagated by quackery.
Experimenting discovered that music was the only incentive sufficient to stimulate the unhappy sufferers to action. The music employed on these occasions was of the most lively and electrifying character of the violin, guitar, or dulcimer, (the castagnette is mentioned) and had the effect to cause them to dance and leap about until the profusion of perspiration drained the poison from their system.
The Furlana or Fourlane of Venice was very similar to the Tarantella except it is executed "more ragged and irregular" and was much in vogue among the gondoliers. It is very lively, and its music is 6/8 time, played in a molto-allegretto style. It is called Fourlane because of its having been first danced in the Frioul . This dance is very similar to the Tarantella, but not quite so diversified. The Saltarello
, which was danced very much in Rome and Venice, and which is not unlike the Tarantella."
2) Goethe describes the dance as follows (paraphrased):
"Three girls, one with a tambourine (with bells on it) and castanets are used by the other two. The two girls with the castanets execute the steps. The girls steps are not distinctive or even graceful, basically they step in time and spin around in place using the castanets, when one tires, she trades places with the tambourine Girl" (They do this for fun for hours, 20-40 hours at times.)
3) Sachs describes the couples' version as follows (paraphrased):
"The dancer, kneels in adoration of his female partner. As she dances for him, he, as though sated, speedily forsakes her again; how with a thousand turns and tricks he now holds aloof and now rushes upon her. His gambols and capers are grotesque (sloppy) and yet charming, light and tender. His bearing is yet proud and resolute, now querulous and elaborate. Leg's and arms, even the fingers, strumming the tambourine (hers), and above all the "glance", ardent, languishing, suddenly bold and shameless, reinforce the expression of the posture. The girl comes out of her corner, now wayward, now willing. Her smile is eloquent, her eyes are drunken. She swings her skirt; she picks up the corner as if to gather things in it; or she raises the arm so that the hand hangs down loosely over her head as though from a hook, while the other hand presses against her heart. Now she is the axis in which the male rotates."
Note: Most pictures of this dance are similar looking to a Flamenco and or Bolero.
The Tarentella is a popular Wedding Dance & Song.... $ Get Weddings for Dummies (Tarentella included) + the song $ Tarantella Tradizionale. [listen]... A good compilation of Tarentella songs on CD here. |
Birth Place |
Creation Date |
Creator |
Dance Type |
| Saxony |
1374? |
St. Magnus Priest |
Folk |
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Posters, Lobby Cards etc. |
Sheet Music Covers |
Blank Row |
| n/a |
Tarentelle
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Night Clubs |
Theaters |
Locations |
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Palace Theater (4/26/1911) |
Buzabatt, Persia |
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France |
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Germany |
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Holland |
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Lizzano |
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London, England |
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Lorraine |
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Metz |
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Saxony |
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Sicily, Naples & Toranto Italy |
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Strasburg, Epidemic of (1418) |
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Tarentum |
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Films / Movies (Reportedly) |
Television |
Stage |
| 1940 - Synchromy No.
9* |
Majestic Theatre (1935) |
1839 - La Tarentule (Essler) |
| 1940 - Taratella* (Short) |
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1850 - Morlacchi Ballet (Boston) |
| 1953 - Tarantella napoletana |
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1907- Les Sylphides |
| 1962 - Twist all Night (L. Prima) |
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1919 - Boutique Fantasque (Massine) |
| $1989
- Tap? |
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1935 - Boutique Fantasque(Massine) |
| $1996 - Tarantella [DVD] |
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Nutcracker, the |
| The Godfather? |
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Saltarello (St. Leon's Ballet) |
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Publications |
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$ Remember the Tarantella |
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$ La danza della piccola taranta |
Books, Magazine Articles on the dance... |
| Title |
Author |
Published |
Publisher |
| Anatomy of Melancholy |
Burton |
1500s |
n/a |
| Magnes sive de arte magnetica opus tripartitum |
Kircher |
1641 |
n/a |
| Les Theologie des insectes |
n/a |
1800s |
n/a |
| The Epidemics of the Middle Ages |
Hecker, J.F.C. |
1859 |
n/a |
| Coulon's Hand Book |
Coulon, Eugène |
1860 |
Jullien & Co. |
| Dance Encyclopedia |
Chujoy, Anatole |
1949 |
A.S. Barnes |
| $ Tarentella |
Elliott, Carter
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1986 |
Associated |
| $ Remember the Tarentella (when available) |
Moorehead, Finola
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1995 |
Womens Press |
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The Madness of Prince Hamlet (great article) |
Youngson, Robert M.
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1999 |
Carol and Graf |
$
The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows and Trditions:
Music, Dance, Toasts, Rituals etc. |
Roney, Carla, The Knot |
2000 |
Broadway |
Composers, Writers |
Singers |
Musicians |
| Chopin, Frédéric François (1810-1849) |
Connie Francis |
n/a |
| Coppola, Carmine (Godfather-Tarentella) |
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| Costa, Bill |
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| Dargomizhsky, Alexander Sergetevich (1813-1869) |
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| Drdla, Franz |
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| Giacomo, Gorzanis (1525-1575) |
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| Jullien, Louis [Roch Albert] (1812-1860) |
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| Liszt, Franz (1811-1856) |
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| Lucantori, Giovanni (c.1913) |
| Sicillians, the Four |
| Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Il'yich (1840-1893) |
| Weber, Friedrich Ernst von (1786-1826) |
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Tarantella
Film |
Folk
Costumes |
Misc. Research Words that may be related ... to help your searches |
| 1233 - Great Hallelujah |
Otranto |
Sydenham's Chorea |
Tarantula Spider |
| 1237 - Erfurt-Germany (Arnstadt) |
Pied Piper |
Taranta |
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| La Tarentule |
St. Vitus Dance |
Tarantism |
Allegria |
| Note: "Paracelsus" aka: Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim (1493-1541) was a phony doctor who wrote about this dance in the 1500s. |
Basic Steps: (Coulons Book - 1860) |
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(If Couples Dance,
hold is position of the Waltz.)
1)
Three Galop
steps (Triple) to the right, and slide the left foot
forward (this to be repeated three times.) The gentleman
supports his lady on his right arm, without giving the left hand.
2) Three Galop
steps and slide the other foot forward in turning very rapidly,
and repeated three times.
3)
A jetté
in turning, fouetté,
temps levé, and chassé... four times.
4)
Echappé,
and eight Galop steps in crossing the room obliquely, facing his
partner and holding both of her hands, and return in the same way
to their places.
5) Four Galop
steps without turning, four jettés in turning and remaining
in the same place.
6) Eight
glissades
turning to the right and the same to the left.
7)
Galop
steps steps forwards, slide the foot backwards, and at the same
time turn short round rapidly (this three times), and the
compass step? (done four times.)
The music is an animated measure in six-eight time. |
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Ballrooms
