Guglielmo Ebreo

Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro (also Giovanni Ambrosio ; * around 1420 in Pesaro ; † after April 21, 1484 in Florence ) was an Italian dancer, dance master and dance theorist.

Life

Guglielmo wrote an autobiography from which his résumé emerges. In addition to Antonio Cornazzano (often also written Cornazano in German-language texts) he was also a student of Domenico da Piacenza . Around 1433 Guglielmo began to work as a dance master. In 1437 he worked at the wedding of Federico da Montefeltro with Battista Sforza in Urbino . Around 1445 he worked for Alessandro Sforza in Pesaro, from 1450 he also worked for his brother Francesco Sforza in Milan . In his autobiography Guglielmo lists numerous occasions on which he was employed as a dance master or dancer.

Guglielmo converted to Christianity between October 1463 and May 1465. Since then he has called himself Giovanni Ambrosio. In 1469 he was in Venice by Emperor Friedrich III. for the Golden Spur knight beaten. After the death of Alessandro Sforza (1473), he entered the service of Federico Montefeltro of Urbino. At the same time he was also active at the court of Lorenzo de 'Medici , where his brother Giuseppe Ebreo also worked. Towards the end of his career, Giovanni Ambrosio had to ask for alms, but Lorenzo de 'Medici refused to do this.

Guglielmo Ebreo's works have come down to us in nine manuscripts of varying sizes and quality. The structure of Ebreos De pratica is based on Domenico da Piacenza's treatise. In a theoretical part, the six fundamentals of the art of dance are first described with misura , memoria , partire del terreno , aiere , mayniera and movimento corporeo . Afterwards Guglielmo devotes himself to practical dance problems, where in a dialogue between master and student the necessary connection between theory and practice is pointed out. In the third section of the treatise, your own and other people's choreographies are described as running text.

About 120 choreographies have been preserved from the Italian-language dance repertoire created between 1440 and 1520. Of these, only nine Bassedanze ( Alesandrescha , Caterva , Cupido , Ginevra , Gioliva , Pazienza , Pellegrina , Pietosa , Principessa ), four Balli ( Colonnese , Duchesco , Grazioso , Legiadra ) and one Balletto ( Gioioso ) can be safely attributed to Guglielmo . Only three of Guglielmos Balli's musicians ( Grazioso , Legiadra , Colonnese ) have survived.

Works

• Guglielmi Hebraei: De pratica seu arte tripudii vulgare opusculum (6 copies)
• Otto bassedanze di M. Guglielmo de Pesaro e de M. Domenico da Ferrara (1 copy)
• Domini Iohannis Ambrosii Pisavrensis de Pratica sev Arte Tripvdii vvlgare opvscvlvm (2 copies)