Orig German
Translation of a German song title?
I play a song on guitar (orig. lute) by Hans Neusidler (1500′s)
called, :”Hie folget ein welscher tantz wascha mesa.” I know it is a Welsh dance, but would like the entire translation. Thanks.
This is 16th-century German dialect and so poses quite a challenge. “Hie’ folget” means “here follows”; “ein Welscher Tantz” means, in all likelihood, a dance from a nearby foreign land. The old German word “wealisc” means foreign, probably from Switzerland. It is HIGHLY unlikely that Neusidler was familar with dances in the Valleys! The tricky bit is “Wascha Mesa” which many consider a corruption or a dialect word for ‘passamezzo’ – an Italian dance like a pavane with a particular chord sequence. The “Welscher Tantz” fulfills all these criteria.
In addition, the title does NOT mean ‘Dance of the Washerwoman’, which is a very erroneous translation.
I don’t think there will ever be a definitive explanation of this somewhat odd title but I hope this helps a little.
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