The History of Masques

Obviously I love the performing arts. I am continuing on with my history of ballet series, which I have loved sharing with you so far. And you can find several of my musical and theatre reviews on the blog- Anastasia, Six, and Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley. So, I’m diving back further into the history of performing arts today with the seventeenth century masque. They are quite different from what we know as theatre performances today, but are fascinating nevertheless. Let’s get into the history of masques, and how they influenced what we see on stage today!

What is a Masque?

To clarify before we go any further, this is not the mask that covers your face (but please, wear a mask!). A masque is “a form of amateur dramatic entertainment, popular among the nobility in 16th- and 17th-century England, which consisted of dancing and acting performed by masked players.” So essentially, it was a play, opera, and dance performance, all together. And while we now tend to see professionals or semi-professionals performing on the stage, it was not always so in the past. At masques, party attendees would be the ones to don a costume and star in the performance. They would be based on different stories or allegories, often to draw favourable comparisons with the person/people funding it.

How Did the Masque Start?

Masques originally started in Europe in the ducal court of Burgundy in the 15th century, where the Duke would include semi-allegorical shows as an honour to his guests and a boost to his status. They were staged to celebrate births, marriages, and other significant events. Interestingly, even in early performances, there would usually be a Classical theme rather than a Christian theme.

In England and Scotland, masques first started to appear in the 16th century. Masques were performed at both the Elizabethan and Stuart courts, with a particularly notable Masque performed for Prince Henry’s baptism in 1594. (They were also performed to celebrate notable events and people.)

Where Were Masques Performed?

The large majority of English masques were performed at court, so they would have been performed in royal palaces (typically in the Great Hall). Many masques were performed at Banqueting House in Whitehall– the only surviving part of the Palace of Whitehall, you can visit it today! Masques weren’t performed in a specific theatre per se, but rather in the room where everyone was feasting.

Masques at the Banqueting House

One of the reasons that I love visiting the Banqueting House is the history of masques there. They do an excellent job of exploring the history of masques there, and you can actually stand in the place where they were performed. If you head down to the Undercroft, you will find a wonderful mini-exhibition on masques. (The Undercroft was more of a drinking, man-cave place, not for the performances- it’s nice and quiet to stop and read.) According to the Historic Royal Palace’s guide to Banqueting House, “The ascendance of the masque in England resulted from King James I’s and Queen Anna’s enthusiasm for the form and for the brilliant- though often tempestuous partnership- of Inigo Jones and the playwright Ben Jonson, who delivered the productions.”

These were a place to see and be seen- all of the important people at court, including foreign ambassadors and guests would be there. The “Banqueting House at Whitehall was so crowded with fair ladies glittering with their rich clothes and richer jewels and with lords and gentlemen of great quality, that there was scarce room for the king and queen to enter.” (Quote included with exhibition information.) And after the masques were performed, the king and his friends would slip down to the Undercroft to drink and gamble- an excellent place to get the king’s ear.

Inigo Jones and Masques

Yes, Inigo Jones, the architect of places such as Banqueting House itself and the Queen’s House in Greenwich, was also responsible for creating several masques for the royal court. A true Renaissance man, if not a bit late! These were not small little productions, but fully formed with elaborate costumes and complex sets (complete with moving parts). And once you read descriptions of some of them, it’s easy to see why it might require someone with the skill of an architect to create it.

According to the exhibition information,

His stages were at one end of the hall, with the King’s throne and seating for the audience at the other. Quick scenery changes in the wings were operated by turning three-sided columns on pivots. Stages were deep enough to hide clever special effects, such as ‘cloud machines’. These lifted scenery clouds and carried performers down onto the stage.

I particularly enjoyed this quote: “another great cloud came down above them, which by little and little descending, discovered other glistening stars to the number of six; and above all, in a chariot of goldsmith’s works richly adorned with precious gems, say Divine Beauty.’ These certainly were not backyard productions, but lavish and expensive theatricals for the king, his friends, and the court.

The Death of the English Masque

The last masque performed at the Banqueting House was The Triumph of Peace. It was created by James Shirley in 1633, to mark the birth of James, Duke of York (the future James II). The Inns of Court paid for it, a bill of over £21,000 (which comes to over £1,800,000 today…)- nothing was too good for the king’s son. Charles I and his queen Henrietta Marie both adored the performance, and were thrilled. The masque died a quick death with the outbreak of the Civil War and then Charles’ execution in 1649. In a cruel twist of irony, Charles was executed on scaffolding outside of Banqueting House, and would have walked across the floor where masques were performed. The Puritanical ruling class disapproved of ungodly activities such as theatre, and did not allow performances.

The Restoration did see a return of theatre, though instead of a masque, a quasi-opera took precedence. Periodically, masque-type performances would pop up here and there, but it was finished on the whole. Sadly, no complete surviving production survives with script, music, and designs, so it would be impossible to truly recreate them.

Want to find out more about Banqueting House? Visit here!

Interested in early theatrical dance performances? Find my early history of ballet post here!