, 1880-09-10

lElu Ol IN" wluutt anu the ueIlNatloh OF
/ the word IN Italian writer saws that
| the name asSurndly came from France,
whatever Misht Doe the origin Of the
dance, and derives 10 from menu-small,
minute which cpitlot wa, applied to II
1n acuguu, of It's small neat steps. Sc
ba,.ian Brossarl gives Poitou as I's ga
tive country. Oihcrs again declare that
il vas rustic dance m vogue among
the PEASANTS Of Aniou, and from thence
introduced at the French court by the
celebrated musician Lully; and that
Louis XIV. became extnvagantiy fond
Of IL. and brought it into fashion by
dancing it at Versailles IN lGGO. But
the period OF it, greatest glory and IN
duencc was. ~ has been said, the eigh-
fsenth century. The names OF many of
its chief Professors and performers have
been preserved for the qualification of
the curious In ltal y certain NJ. Du-
fort was one of the most celebrated
teachers Of the minuet; aud NJ. Liepig
received increditable oyations for his
performance Of that dance at the theatre
of san Csrlo, in Naples, during the car
nival Of 1873. Several female dancers
made large fortunes by the minuet.
There was Nine. Coupe, with an income
Of 25,000f. a year; Mile. Nestris, the
most graceful and languishiDg Of all
minuet.dancers, also very rich; Mile AL
lard, the ruin of many princely fortunes;
and, finnily, Mile. Guimard, celebrated
for her caprices and her sumptuousness.
The name of minuet was applied in the
eighteenth century to certain species
of air, in threc.four time, which was
sung in the opera; ana still signifies a
me. .ody with special rhythm and move.
ment familiar to all musicians. One
Gennaro Magri, who wrote just about a
century ago, styles himself "Maitre de
ballet of the royal diversions of his Sici.
lisn Majesty and of the Royal Military
Academy" And he assures us that of
all dances the minuet was the most nc
BILE, and ought to be learned by all, even
by the military g. From Magri's Off
cial title of Dancing master to the Roy
al Military Academy it would seem as
though his sicilian Majesty had not neg
lected this pavt Of his Army's education,
The same writer discourses of his art.
with an amount Of fervor and minute
attention to details which betray his un-
doubted belief in its Importance. The
rules about tie minuet alone would fill
a volume. But we may lay before the
reader Magri's five Indispensable requis-
ties for making good figure in the min
uet These.are, namely: "a languish-
ing a smiling mouth, an imposing
carriage, innocent, hands and ambitious
Feet" Toward the middle Of the last
century there died in Paris a dancing,
master named Marcello who may be call
ed the. genius Of the minuet, His les
sons were extremely dear, and eagerly
sought after. He treated his subject
with vast profundity and solemnity, and
his pupils with autocratic arrogance.
There was whimsical contrast between
the pompous elegance of his outward
bearing and the extremely rough and
blunt utterances to which he treated his
noble scholars Hewould make d lady,
q bow, expressive of high-bred courtesy,
and call out the next moment, 'Duchess,
you waddle like goosel Stand up up
right, do! You have the air of a ser
want maid!" or, "Prince, what are you
about? You look like street-porter"
But nobody resented these'speeches, for
Marcello was privileged to say what he
chose. Tn his later years he relinquish-
ed teaching the minuet, and devoted
himself to what he called "the most sub,
lime part Of his art" namely, ola rever-
ence." He taught 236 different species
Of bow and curtsey for the two sexes,
each Of which expressed the condition,
and frequently the mood. of the person
who made IT,, There was the Court
bow, the city bow, the bow Of a gentle
man to his equal, the ministers bow,
the curtsey of a young lady in church,
on the presentation of her fianceo, etc,
Curtseys on presentation at Court were
taught at % Louis d'ors the course!
During the lesson Marcello represented
the King, and took care to compert
himself with all the overwhelming ma,
jesty belonging to the part, with view
to strengthen .he nerves of his pupils
for an interview with the Grand Mon
arch IN person. II may be safely as
sumed, however, that magnificent as
was Louis XIV, he was not SO magni-
ficent as Marcello st.H
" - -g.