A branle (pronounced BRAN-uhl or BRAHL) is a type of French dance that has been popular since the early 1500s and is still popular today. It is danced by couples in a line or a circle. The term "branle" also refers to the music and the special way people move their feet during the dance. Other names for this dance include brangle, brawl, brall, braul, brando (in Italy), bran (in Spain), and brantle (in Scotland).

History

The word branle comes from the French verb branler, which means to shake, wave, sway, wag, or wobble. It describes the side-to-side movement of a group of dancers holding hands or linking arms. Dances with this name appeared around 1500 and are still performed in France today. Before 1500, the word was only used to describe the "swaying" step in the basse danse.

The branle was danced by a line of dancers, usually in pairs, with linked arms or holding hands. The dance involved alternating between several large steps to the left and smaller steps to the right, making the group move slowly to the left.

Although originally a rural dance performed with singing, the branle was later adopted by the aristocracy. Printed books from the time show that different types of branle were danced in order, forming one of the earliest examples of a classical dance suite. These suites often ended with a gavotte, which was considered a type of branle.

Some aristocratic branles included pantomime, such as the branle de Poitou, which may have inspired the minuet. Some dances were reserved for specific age groups, like the branle de Bourgogne for younger dancers. Branle music was usually in common time, like the gavotte, though some, like the branle de Poitou, used triple time. Dancers moved in different ways depending on the music’s speed, such as walking, running, gliding, or skipping.

The first detailed descriptions of branle steps appear in Orchesography, a book by Arbeau. He wrote that every ball began with four specific branles: the double, single, gay, and Burgundian. Arbeau also described eight branles linked to different regions, such as the Burgundian, Champagne, and Poitou. He mentioned four others without explaining their steps.

Some branles were adapted for ballet and mime. Arbeau said the Maltese branle was likely created for a ballet, not from Malta. He also described a Hermit branle based on mime.

There were several branle suites, such as the Branles de Champagne and Branles de Hainaut. Arbeau called these branles coupés, meaning "cut" or "mixed" branles. By 1623, these suites were standardized into six dances: the premier branle, branle gay, branle de Poictou, branle double de Poictou, cinquiesme branle, and a final gavotte.

In England, Shakespeare mentioned the branle in Love's Labour's Lost (1598). By the 17th century, it was danced at the courts of Louis XIV of France and Charles II of England. Some branle dances were recorded using Beauchamp–Feuillet notation, a system developed in 1691.

In Italy, the branle became the brando, and in Spain, it became the bran. It also reached Scotland, where it survived as the brail. Some lute music from England, like Branle Englese by Emmanuel Adriaenssen, includes branle dances.

The Branle de Montirandé is related to the Haut Barrois branle, which Arbeau said was based on a tune from Montierandal (likely Montier-en-Der). It is danced in duple time and has a structure similar to the double branle.

In John Marston’s The Malcontent (1604), a character describes a dance called Beanchaes brawl (Bianca’s branle). The dance starts with steps similar to the Maltese branle but includes an extra section with athletic moves, such as a series of jumps or leaps.

Revivals

• Francis Poulenc used a Bransle de Champagne and a Bransle de Bourgogne in his Suite Française (1935).
• Igor Stravinsky used a Bransle Simple, Bransle Gay, and Bransle de Poitou (Double) in his Agon (1957).
• The melody from Arbeau's "Branle de l'Official" was used in the 20th-century English Christmas carol "Ding Dong Merrily on High."
• The Capriol Suite by British composer Peter Warlock has a bransle as its fourth movement. The piece includes six folk dances originally written for piano, and Warlock later arranged it for string orchestra and full orchestra.