Passacaille d'Armide [from Art & Ecstasy of the Chaconne]

The Passacaille d'Armide, from Armide by Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687). Choreography by Anthony L'Abee, reconstructed by Alan Jones; costume by Leslie Weinberg; danced by the incomparable Patricia Beaman at Sinfonia New York's "The Art and Ecstasy of the Chaconne," presented by Gotham Early Music Scene on May 26, 2009, at the Society for Ethical Culture Hall in New York City.

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[Gio Benitez Ramos]

I really love this piece, thank you for share this.

I have a Harpsichord but I dont know if this piece has the score by any composer of the XVIII century. If it is please how can I get the score for the Harpsichord.

Thanks again and my best regards.

[ajparis]

Sorry, you're quite mistaken. Armide dates from the 1680s, but it stayed in the repertory for many decades and it was the custom then to update costume and choreography with every new production. The dance notation here is from the mid-1720s, long after Lully's time, so an 18th-c costume is perfectly normal. But if you were better informed you would have noticed another contradiction: in fact, the dress is closer to what a lady in the audience would have worn, not a dancer onstage.

[Erin Smith]

-That's what I would say! I'm majoring in European history of fashion.

[belzepute]

For goodness sake, if you choose to dance with period costumes, please respect the concordance with the time of the music... This is a late eighteen century dress for a passacaille from 1686...

[Erin Smith]

Wow...the music is simply beautiful...the dancer is awesome too...wish i was her..