Masque

Masque, form of dramatic writing and production featuring poetry, music, and dance, popular in 17th-century England, especially in court circles. In the masque, the actors wore masks and usually represented allegorical or mythical characters. (The use of masks in drama originated in ancient Greece; their use in masques was part of the classical revival of the Renaissance.) The roots of the masque may be found in Italian and French pageants and masquerades, as well as in the English “disguising”, a performance descended from the practice of mumming and the art of the troubadours. Actors spoke, sang, and danced on allegorical or mythological subjects in the disguising, which was known from the early 15th century in Italy. The most important development added by the masque was audience participation in the dances.

The formal court masque was introduced in 1512, during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. During the reign of James I, the masque became the most popular form of drama. The literary form was greatly improved, and a fine lyric style introduced and perfected by the English playwright and poet Ben Jonson, who wrote many works in this genre. Masques were also written by the playwright John Fletcher, and the poet John Milton wrote one work in masque form, Comus (1634), with music by the composer Henry Lawes. The genius of the English architect and stage designer Inigo Jones contributed greatly to the technical improvements in the production of masques. Several hundred of his sketches of costumes and scenery are extant in various collections. The best-known composer of music for the masques, who worked with Jonson and Jones from 1605 to 1612, was Alfonso Ferrabosco; among their collaborations were Masque of Blackness (1605) and Masque of Beauty (1608), from both of which music has survived. The poet Thomas Campion wrote both music and texts for such works as Masque in Honour of the Marriage of Lord Hayes (1607). Robert Johnson wrote music for Shakespeare's The Tempest, a play that incorporates masques in several scenes, as well as for the dances in other masques. The dances—the entry, the main dance, and the going off—were the most important element of the masque. Burlesque dances, called antimasques, were also incorporated.

After enjoying a great vogue, the masque declined rapidly in England, but survived for another century at the royal court of France and at other European courts. Many of the forms and characters were gradually incorporated into later forms such as ballet, opera, and pantomime. The masque has not survived in modern times, except as an esoteric literary form.