Dear Ron,
I'm not sure how the audience's hands would help except by applause.
The whole epilogue is asking for the audience to pardon him now that
his magic has been abjured. (the magic of the play)
Here is another direct appeal to the audience to use their hands from
the end of Alls Well that Ends Well:
The king's a beggar, now the play is done:
All is well ended, if this suit be won,
That you express content; which we will pay,
With strife to please you, day exceeding day:
Ours be your patience then, and yours our parts;
Your gentle hands lend us, and take our hearts.
And another from Midsummer Night's Dream:
PUCK
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.
And here is the killer quote at the end of Henry VIII where he actually
says CLAP!
EPILOGUE
'Tis ten to one this play can never please
All that are here: some come to take their ease,
And sleep an act or two; but those, we fear,
We have frighted with our trumpets; so, 'tis clear,
They'll say 'tis naught: others, to hear the city
Abused extremely, and to cry 'That's witty!'
Which we have not done neither: that, I fear,
All the expected good we're like to hear
For this play at this time, is only in
The merciful construction of good women;
For such a one we show'd 'em: if they smile,
And say 'twill do, I know, within a while
All the best men are ours; for 'tis ill hap,
If they hold when their ladies bid 'em clap.
At 15:57 +0000 18/2/13, Ron Andrico wrote:
As much as I would be pleased to join in with the interpretation
of
Prospero's reference to hands, I think it probably bears the more
conventional meaning of helping hands rather than applause. And,
as a
violin teacher, the bowing and scraping I endure is certainly
more of
the horsehair on strings type than the euphemistic
acknowledgement of
an audience.
No doubt, someone will come up with the definitive reason for our
silly
ritual, but I'm inclined to speculate that bowing to an audience
evolved from the tradition of courtly courtesy, like signing a
letter
as "your humble servant" even though we all know that you're
not. It
could be the considered in the same vein as the manner in which
JS Bach
addressed his town councils or church consistories in his letters
of
indignant complaint, "Your Magnificences, Most Noble, Most
Distinguished, Steadfast, Honored and Most Learned, also Most
Wise,
Most Highly Esteemed Gentlemen and Patroni!"
Acknowledging the audience with deference by bowing is the same
as
saying "Your Humble Servant."
RA
> Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:39:12 +0000
> To: da...@vanedwards.co.uk; mathias.roe...@t-online.de
> CC: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu
> From: willsam...@yahoo.co.uk
> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Origins of bowing.
>
> So that's 'bowing'. So how does 'scraping' come into it, as in
'bowing
> and scraping'. Both words also apply to what people do to
members
> of the violin family.
>
> Bill
> From: David Van Edwards <da...@vanedwards.co.uk>
> To: Mathias Roesel <mathias.roe...@t-online.de>
> Cc: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu
> Sent: Monday, 18 February 2013, 12:41
> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Origins of bowing.
> Dear Mthias,
> Well clapping as a way of showing appreciation at the end of a
play
> is
> thought to be referred to in the closing speech of Prospero in
The
> Tempest. In bold here, and presumably some sort of cheering is
meant
> by
> the following couplet.
> EPILOGUE
> SPOKEN BY PROSPERO
> Now my charms are all o'erthrown,
> And what strength I have's mine own,
> Which is most faint: now, 'tis true,
> I must be here confined by you,
> Or sent to Naples. Let me not,
> Since I have my dukedom got
> And pardon'd the deceiver, dwell
> In this bare island by your spell;
> But release me from my bands
> With the help of your good hands:
> Gentle breath of yours my sails
> Must fill, or else my project fails,
> Which was to please. Now I want
> Spirits to enforce, art to enchant,
> And my ending is despair,
> Unless I be relieved by prayer,
> Which pierces so that it assaults
> Mercy itself and frees all faults.
> As you from crimes would pardon'd be,
> Let your indulgence set me free.
> Best wishes,
> David
> At 11:27 +0100 18/2/13, Mathias Roesel wrote:
> Bowing as an educated way of greeting someone else is already
> mentioned in
> the Bible. That dates back way beyond antiquity. Yet as for
> musicians
> receiving applause with a bow, that would imply that musicians
were
> acknowledged as kind of emancipated artists considered worthy
to
> receive
> applause.
> Just a guess, but I don't think John Dowland was used to bowing
> when
> he
> played for his employers (landgrave Moritz, king Christian).
> Emancipation of
> artists came up during the 17th century, if I'm not mistaken.
So
> perhaps
> lutenists like Jacques Gaultier or Franc,ois Dufaut in London
would
> receive
> applause with a bow (mid-17th century).
> Perhaps the question should rather be put this way: When became
> applause for
> artistic performances fashionable?
> Mathias
> To get on or off this list see list information at
> [1]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
> --
> The Smokehouse,
> 6 Whitwell Road,
> Norwich, NR1 4HB
> England.
> Telephone: + 44 (0)1603 629899
> Website: [2]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/
> --
>
> --
>
> References
>
> 1. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
> 2. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/
>
--
--
The Smokehouse,
6 Whitwell Road,
Norwich, NR1 4HB
England.
Telephone: + 44 (0)1603 629899
Website: http://www.vanedwards.co.uk
--
