Masque
English court masque, blending song, dance, scenery and aristocratic performers
Related
The masque was a composite court entertainment in England from the late sixteenth to the seventeenth century: song, instrumental music, dance, poetry and elaborate scenery shared one occasion, and aristocrats often performed masked.
It peaked under James I and Charles I, with Jonson writing the words and Jones devising stage machines — a partnership of word, scene and dance. Milton's Comus, set by Henry Lawes, survives with its text and some of its music. The Civil War interrupted it; the Restoration carried its song, dance and scenery into semi-opera.
It is not simply "drama with masks", nor opera: its centre is court ritual and visual spectacle, with music often serving dance and scene change. It left its mark on English opera and incidental music.
Sources
- 英国宫廷假面剧的琼森与琼斯合作、弥尔顿《科摩斯》与复辟时期的半歌剧转向，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Masque"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.