Estampie

Estampie (or Istampitta) is a dance and musical form common in 13th- and 14th-century Europe. The history of the dance is largely unknown. Paintings from the period, however, depict the dance involving heavy hopping and/or jumping. Over time the form evolved into a highly stylized abstract piece characterized by ornamentation and contrapuntal passages of modest complexity.

Form

The estampie form featured repeated sections, called puncta, from as many as 4 to 7.

AA BB CC DD etc.

Added to these sections are repeated endings (ouvert "open", and clos "closed"). These are provided for each and every punctum.

A+X A+Y B+W B+Z etc.

Variants on this structure include the use of the same endings for each of the sections.

Example

The following works are rather antiquated; exact authorship is difficult to determine.

• Belicha - Anonymous
• Chominciamento di gioa - Anonymous
• Tre Fontane - Anonymous
• Ghaetta - Anonymous
• Dananca amorosa/Troto - Anonymous

References

• "Estampie". Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Estampie&oldid=304256237 (accessed 26 July, 2009).
• "Istampitta". Medieval Music Database. La Trobe University Library: http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/MMDB/Genre/Istampitta.htm#V (accessed 13 August, 2009).