- Also spelled:
- mask
- Related Topics:
- theatrical production
- antimasque
- court theatre
masque
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What is a masque in entertainment?
A masque is a form of entertainment involving disguised participants who offer gifts to a host, followed by ceremonial dance. Masques often feature costumed, masked people of the same sex who dance and converse with guests, sometimes as a procession or an elaborately staged show with a lyrical drama that complements the noble or royal host.
Rooted in primitive religious rites and folk ceremonies, masques evolved into court spectacles across Europe. In England, masques became vehicles for complimenting the queen and, under the Stuarts, reached their peak with Ben Jonson, who introduced the antimasque, contrasting grotesque elements with the masque's elegance.
In African societies, masquerade dancers serve diverse social purposes, from embodying deities and ancestral spirits to providing entertainment.
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When and where were masques most popular?
Masques, a form of dramatic entertainment featuring masked actors, gained popularity during the 16th and 17th centuries. Originating from folk ceremonies, masques evolved into elaborate court spectacles that entertained royalty throughout Europe.
Under the Stuart monarchy, particularly during the reigns of James I and Charles I, the masque reached its height in England. During this time, Ben Jonson became the court poet and, along with scene designer Inigo Jones, produced excellent masques that were presented at court.
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What kinds of performances were included in a masque?
A masque was a festival or entertainment that included disguised participants offering gifts to their host, followed by ceremonial dance. A typical masque featured costumed and masked individuals of the same sex who, with torchbearers, would arrive at a social gathering to dance and converse with guests.
The masque could be a procession introduced by a presenter or a staged show where a lyrical drama heralded the appearance of masquers. After descending from their pageant to perform dances, they would revel with the guests until farewell speeches and song summoned them back. The drama's theme was usually mythological, allegorical, or symbolic, designed to compliment the noble or royal host.
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How did costumes and scenery contribute to masques?
Costumes and scenery were integral to masques, evolving into gorgeous, spectacular displays that marked the English masque during the 16th century. Designers competed in the sumptuousness of their displays. The Italian designers, who included artists as eminent as Leonardo da Vinci, led the field.
Inigo Jones brought Italian stage design to England, utilizing angled wings and back shutters to give the illusion of distance. Jones's designs mixed breastplates molded to the body, plumes, helmets, and various Roman kilts with modified elements of contemporary dress. Ladies’ costumes followed the dress of the period more closely but strove for a looseness and for the transparency of fabric typical of Classical dress.
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Who usually performed in masques, and who watched them?
Masques were a form of entertainment that involved disguised participants offering gifts and joining in ceremonial dance. These performances were popular in royal courts and noble houses.
Performers in masques were often costumed and masked persons of the same sex, sometimes accompanied by torchbearers. During the Renaissance, the lords and ladies of the court bore the cost of their costumes. The audience typically consisted of guests and attendants in a royal court or nobleman’s house. The theme of the dramas presented during masques was usually mythological, allegorical, or symbolic, designed to be complimentary to the noble or royal host of the social gathering.
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How did masques influence later theater and entertainment styles?
Masques, which featured disguised participants offering gifts and ceremonial dances, significantly influenced later theater and entertainment styles. Originating from primitive religious rites, masques evolved into elaborate court spectacles across Europe. In England, Inigo Jones introduced Italian stage designs to court masques, incorporating perspective settings and innovative machinery.
Ben Jonson's integration of literary and social elements, along with the contrast provided by the antimasque, enriched the masque form. Masques paved the way for opera and pantomime, with the antimasque evolving into farce. The emphasis on visual spectacle and elaborate machinery in masques also impacted theater design and stagecraft.
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masque, festival or entertainment in which disguised participants offer gifts to their host and then join together for a ceremonial dance. A typical masque consisted of a band of costumed and masked persons of the same sex who, accompanied by torchbearers, arrived at a social gathering to dance and converse with the guests. The masque could be simply a procession of such persons introduced by a presenter, or it could be an elaborately staged show in which a brief lyrical drama heralded the appearance of masquers, who, having descended from their pageant to perform figured dances, reveled with the guests until summoned back into their pageant by farewell speeches and song. The theme of the drama presented during a masque was usually mythological, allegorical, or symbolic and was designed to be complimentary to the noble or royal host of the social gathering.
Most likely originating in primitive religious rites and folk ceremonies known as disguising, or mummery, masques evolved into elaborate court spectacles that, under various names, entertained royalty throughout Europe. In Renaissance Italy, under the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici, the intermezzo became known for its emphasis on song, dance, scenery, and stage machinery. No matter how literary, the intermezzi invariably included a dance or masked ball where the guests mingled with the actors. A nondramatic form, the trionfo, or triumph, evolved from these Italian court masques and, arriving in France, gave rise to the ballet de cour and the more spectacular masquerade.
During the 16th century the European continental masque traveled to Tudor England, where it became a court entertainment played before the king. Gorgeous costumes, spectacular scenery with elaborate machinery to move it on- and offstage, and rich allegorical verse marked the English masque. During the reign of Elizabeth I the masque provided a vehicle for compliments paid to the queen at her palace and during her summer tours through England. Under James I and Charles I masques were usually presented at court.
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Under the Stuarts the masque reached its zenith when Ben Jonson became court poet. He endowed the form with great literary as well as social force. In 1605 Jonson and the scene designer Inigo Jones produced the first of many excellent masques, which they continued to collaborate on until 1634. Jonson invented the antimasque—also known as the antemasque, the false masque, and the antic masque—and produced the first in 1609. It took place before the main masque, concentrated on grotesque elements, and provided a direct contrast to the elegance of the masque that followed. In later years the masque developed into opera, and the antimasque became primarily a farce or pantomime. After Jonson’s retirement, masques lost their literary value and became mainly vehicles for spectacle.
Masque entertainments in England ceased with the beginning of the English Civil Wars, and later revivals never equaled the originals.