A dansa (), also spelt dança, was an Old Occitan form of lyric poetry developed in the late thirteenth century among the troubadours. It is related to the English term "dance" and was often accompanied by dancing. A closely related form, the balada or balaresc, had a more complex structure, and is related to the ballade but unrelated to the ballad. Both terms derive from Occitan words for "to dance": dansar and balar/ballar.
A dansa begins with a respos of one or two lines, whose rhyme scheme matches that of the first line or two of each subsequent stanza. The actual respos may have been repeated between stanzas, of which there were usually three, as a refrain. The few surviving melodies of dansas seem like incipient virelais. The verses of the dansa were sung by a soloist while the refrain was sung by a choir. A dansa lacking a vuelta is called a danseta.
In a balada each stanza is divided into three parts. The first part and second part are identical, each ending with the same rhyme as the first line of the poem. The third part of the stanza is identical to the refrain (refranh) in form. The refrain, which begins the song, is repeated after each stanza. In a balada the lines of the choir and the soloist could mix.
A desdansa (or desdança) was the opposite of a dansa, not in form but in content. Whereas a dansa had joyful lyrics and lively music, a desdansa was sad and lamenting, much like a planh designed for dance. The desdansa is defined, and exemplified, in the Cançoneret de Ripoll.
List
ComposerA blank cell indicates the piece is anonymous. Incipit (i.e. title) DateA blank cell indicates the date of composition is unknown. NotesGuiraut d'EspaignaBe volgra, s'esser poguesGuiraut d'EspaignaDomna, si tot no.us es prezaGuiraut d'EspaignaGen m'auciGuiraut d'EspaignaGes ancara Guiraut d'EspaignaLo fi cor qu'ie.us aiSometimes called a balada or dansaGuiraut d'EspaignaNo posc plus sofrirGuiraut d'EspaignaNa Ses MerceGuiraut d'EspaignaPer amor soi gaiA pastorela in the form of a dansaGuiraut d'EspaignaPos ses parGuiraut d'EspaignaSa gaja semblansaGuiraut d'EspaignaSi la bela que.m plai no.m plaiGuiraut d'EspaignaSi.l dous jois d'amorGuiraut d'EspaignaSi no.m secor domna gajaPaulet de MarseillaBela domna plazens, aiCerveri de GironaA la pluga a.l vent iranA balada that Serveri labels an espingaduraCerveri de GironaCom es ta mal ensenyadaA dansa that Serveri labels a peguescaCerveri de GironaNo.l prenatz los fals marit iana delgadaA balada that Serveri labels a viadeyraCerveri de GironaPus on vey leysCerveri de GironaSi voletz que.m laix d'amarCerveri de GironaTant ay el cor d'alegrançaA sirventes–dansaCerveri de GironaTot can cors deziraUc de Saint CircUna danseta voil farA l'entrada del temps clarAmors m'art con fuoc ab flamaPerhaps a fragmentary cansoAra l'ausetzPerhaps a parody (parodique) of a dansaCoindeta sui, si cum n'ai greu cossireD'amor m'estera ben e gentMort m'an li semblan que ma dona.m faiPlazens plasers, tant vos am e.us dezirConsists of a single coblaPos la dousor del temps gayPos qu'ieu vey la fuellaTwo coblas, perhaps a single cansoPres soi ses faillenchaTwo coblas, perhaps a single cansoQuant lo gilos er foraS'anc vosSe nus hom per ben servirSi tot chantar non m'enansaTant es gay'es avinentzA fragment: two coblas, probably of a dansa, perhaps a canso
Notes
References
Aubrey, Elizabeth (1996). The Music of the Troubadours. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. . Riquer, Martí de (1964). Història de la Literatura Catalana, vol. 1. Barcelona: Edicions Ariel.