Dancing through the Ages 1650-1700

Dancing through the Ages (October, 2020) is a 10,800 page work offering background on, reconstruction of, and chorded music for nearly 1,000 dances from between from 1400 to 1900, as well as extensive notes analysing links between these dances, the evolution of dance forms, movement ideas and notation systems through this 500 period, and the changing nature of ball culture and dance sources in countries across the old and new word.  The whole is supported by thousands of quotations, diagrams and illustrations from original sources.

The work is broken into 31 books, each of between 300 and 460 (average 350) double-sided A4 pages. After the 'Orientation and Overview' book 1, the work is organised into ten 'Volumes', each of 3 books.  

Each 3-book Volume is devoted to a particular period and consists of 1,000 plus pages of research, discussion, analysis, illustrations, musical scores, dance reconstructions, source extracts, transcriptions and translations. The first book (Part 1a-d) looks at dancing in general (the social, political and geographic contexts in which dance and the institution of the ball was evolving; the nature and evolution of the period’s main forms of dance; dance elements such as style, etiquette, honours, holds, formations, figures and steps; developments in dance teaching, notation and publication, and period-relevant primary sources (including little known ones). The second and third books (Part 2a and Part 2b respectively) offer sources and music for, and reconstructions and analysis of dozens of dances from the relevant period, presented in alphabetic order.

To order any or all of the books in this 31-book series go to LULU. The books are AUS$36 each (approximately US$27), plus postage which will diminish with the more books in your order. As your books will be sent from the nearest Lulu printer on your continent, you will not be paying for overseas shipping and will not be waiting long for the books to arrive. Orders are normally filled at local postage rates within a week.  

N.B. I recommend that in addition to ordering the books pertaining to the period you first think of, you also order books from the adjacent period collections plus the invaluable Book 1: 'Orientation and Overview'.  Indeed, because of the interconnectivity of dance over the 500 years covered by this series (and the cross-referencing between books in the series), I highly recommend the full set!

When on the LULU Spotlight page, in order to view the books in the order in which they appear in the series select 'Sort by Publication Date Ascending'

Below are the front covers and contents of the three books that constitute Volume IV in the series

Part 1: Dance in general   (Book 11)

Part 2a: Dances in detail A-L   (Book 12)

Adson’s Saraband ~ 6

All in the Garden green ~ 10

Amaryllis ~ 14

Anna Maria ~ 19

Arcadia ~ 21

Argeers ~ 23

Argulius ~ 27

Aye me, or the Simphony ~ 30

Bartlett House ~ 33

The Bath ~ 35

The Begger Boy ~ 37

Bellamira / The Baulk (1) ~ 40

Black Bess ~ 44

Black Jack (1) & (2) ~ 47

Black Nag~ 52

Boat-man ~ 54

Bobbing Joe (2) ~ 57

Bonny grey-Ey’d morn ~ 61

The Bore, or Sweet William ~ 63

Braye’s Magott ~ 65

Broome ~ 67

Buff-coat / La Buffecote ~ 70

Catching of Quails ~ 76

Cheerily and Merrily ~ 79

Chestnut ~ 82

The Chirping of the Nightingale (2) ~ 85

Christchurch Bells (1) ~ 88

Christchurch Bells (2) ~ 93

Cobbler’s Jig ~ 107

Cold and Raw ~ 111

Confesse ~ 113

Contredance nouvelle figurée à huit ~ 117

Courant (3) & (4) ~ 126

The Country Coll ~ 171

Cuckolds all a Row (2) ~ 174

Cupid Garden ~ 178

The Cushion Dance (1) ~ 183

Daniel Cowper (1) ~ 189

Daphne~ 192

Dargason / The Sedany ~ 196

De’il take the Wars (1) ~ 200

The Devil’s Dream ~ 202

Drive the Cold Winter Away ~ 206

The Duke of Gloucester’s March ~ 209

Easter Tuesday ~ 212

Emperor of the Moon ~ 213

Epping Forrest ~ 219

Excuse me ~ 221

Faine I would ~ 229

The Fine Companion ~ 232

The Friar and the Nun (2) ~ 235

Gathering Peascods ~ 238

The Geud Man of Ballangigh ~ 240

The Glory of the West ~ 242

Graies Inn Maske (2) ~ 246

Greenwood (2) ~ 249

Grimstock ~ 253

The Gun Fleet (1) & (2) ~ 255

Half Hannykin ~ 260

Have at thy coat old woman ~ 263

The Health ~ 268

Hearts-ease (2) ~ 271

Hedge Lane (1a&b, 2a&b) ~ 274

Hide Parke ~ 281

Hobb’s Wedding ~ 283

Hockley in the Hole ~ 286

The Hole in the Wall ~ 289

If all the World were Paper ~ 291

The Irish Trot ~ 296

Jack a Lent ~ 302

Jack’s Maggot ~ 305

Jacob Hall’s Jig ~ 306

Jamaica / La bonne amitié ~ 308

Jenny plucked Pears ~ 312

Joan’s Placket (1) / Jeanne qui saute ~ 314

Jog on (2) ~ 318

The Jovial Beggars ~ 322

Juice of Barley ~ 324

Kemp’s Jig ~ 326

The Kettle Drum ~ 330

King of Poland ~ 333

The Last of Twenty ~ 336

Lady in the dark ~ 339

Lady lye near me (1) & (2) ~ 343

Lavena ~ 350

Lilli Burlero (1) ~ 353

The London Gentlewoman ~ 355

Lord of Carnavan’s Jig ~ 362

Love and a Bottle (1) ~ 365

The Lover’s Luck ~ 368

Lulle me beyond thee ~ 371

Part 2b: Dances in detail M-Z   (Book 13)

Mad Robin (1) ~ 6

Mage on a Cree / Margery Cree (1) & (2) ~ 9

Maiden Lane ~ 13

The Maid in the Mill ~ 16

Maid in the Moon ~ 18

The Masque of the Seasons ~ 21

The Maurice Daunce ~ 37

Menuet Anglois / Mr Lane’s Minuet ~ 41

The Milking Payle / Merry Milkmaids (2) ~ 45

The Mill-field ~ 48

Millison’s Jig ~ 51

Mr Beveridge’s Maggot ~ 54

Mr Eaglesfield’s new Hornpipe ~ 56

Mr Isaac’s Maggot /Les Folies d’Isac ~ 58

Mr Lane’s Maggot ~ 66

Mr Lane’s Trumpet Minuet ~ 71

Mr Young’s Delight ~ 76

The Mulberry-Garden (1) & (2) ~ 79

Mundesse ~ 83

My Lady Cullen’s ~ 88

The New Bath ~ 91

New Boe Peep ~ 95

Newcastle ~ 97

The New Exchange (1) & (2) ~ 103

New Rigadoon ~ 108

New Roger / Young Roger ~ 110

The New Vagary / La Nouvelle Figure ~ 116

The Nightpiece ~ 122

Nobody’s Jig ~ 126

Nonesuch / A la Mode de France ~ 128

Northern Nancy  ~ 134

Old Simon the King ~ 137

Pabana / Spanish Pavan (2) ~ 140

Parson’s Farewell ~ 151

Parson upon Dorothy (1) / The Shepherd’s Daughter ~ 156

Parson upon Dorothy (2) ~ 160

Paul’s Steeple ~ 163

Peppers Black ~ 168

Poole’s Hole (1) ~ 172

Prince George ~ 174

Prince Rupert’s March ~ 179

Punk’s Delight (1) & (2) ~ 182

Put on thy Smock on a Monday ~ 187

Putney Ferry ~ 189

Put up thy dagger ~ 192

Red House (1) ~ 195

Rigadoon (1) ~ 198

Row Well ye Mariners ~ 201

Rufty Tufty ~ 206

Sage Leaf ~ 209

Saint Martin ~ 212

St. Martin’s Lane ~ 216

The Saraband ~ 219

Scotch Cap ~ 223

The Scotch Measure ~ 226

Sellengers Round ~ 228

Shepheard’s Holiday ~ 232

Short and Sweet ~ 235

Short’s Garden ~ 237

The Siege of Limerick ~ 239

Skellemefago ~ 241

Singleton’s Slip ~ 244

The Slip ~ 248

Smith’s Rant (a) & (b) ~ 251

Spanish Jig (1) ~ 255

Spanish Gypsie / The Gypsies (2) ~ 257

The Spring ~ 260

Staines Morris ~ 262

Step Stately ~ 266

The Stingo, or the Oyl of Barley ~ 269

Strawberries and Cream (1) ~ 273

Sweet Kate ~ 276

Ten Pound Lass (2) ~ 278

The 29th of May ~ 281

Tythe Pig ~ 284

Under and Over / Over and Under ~ 287

Upon a Summers Day ~ 291

Up tailes all ~ 293

Valentine’s Day ~ 297

Vienna (1) ~ 305

Vienna (2) ~ 307

Well Hall ~ 311

What you please ~ 313

The Whirligig ~ 317

Whitehall ~ 320

Windsor Castle ~ 324

Woodicock ~ 327

PART 1a: DANCE CONTEXT ~ 8

England ~ 10

Dance under the republic ~ 10

The work of John Playford ~ 12

The links between Playford dance tunes and ballads ~ 13

Dances with links to the Stuart Masque ~ 16

Bargrave’s masque in Constantinople ~ 18

Dances with links to mid-17th century plays ~ 19

Dances with links to aristocrats ~ 22

Dances with continental links ~ 23

Dancing at the Inns of Court ~ 24

Change in Inns of Court dance practise and repertoire ~ 30

Concordance of dances in Inns of Court manuscripts ~ 31

The Restoration and the new French Influence ~ 34

Milton and celestial dance ~ 38

Dances with links to late-17th century plays ~ 39

Dances in late-17th century opera ~ 40

Country dance as a ballroom dance form ~ 44

Dance scene and dance nature diversity ~ 45

The dances in John Shirley’s The triumph of wit ~ 48

France ~ 50

Louis XIV and the Académie royale de danse ~ 50

Increasing theatrical sophistication ~ 57

The Masquerade ~ 58

The formal Versailles ball according to Rameau ~ 59

The formal Versailles ball according to others ~ 63

Balls in the Versailles garden’s salle du bal. ~ 66

Other balls at Versailles ~ 69

Balls in Paris ~ 70

The function of a ball ~ 70

The importation of the English Country Dance ~ 72

Elsewhere ~ 76

Italy ~ 76

Germany and Austria~ 78

Poland ~ 81

Holland ~ 83

Scotland and Ireland ~ 88

Sweden ~ 88

America ~ 89

Spain ~ 89

 

PART 1b: DANCE FORMS ~ 92

Dance order and the Baroque suite ~ 94

The Almain /Allemande ~ 100

The Almain ~ 100

Allemanding ~ 102

The Bourrée ~ 104

The Branle ~ 105

The Country dance ~ 107

Forms and mechanisms in the 1650s & 60s ~ 107

Country dances in non-Playford English sources ~ 109

Table of late 17th century English manuscript country dance descriptions ~ 110

Table of longways country dances that appear in multiple sources ~ 115

New propensities after 1675 and Lorin manuscripts of the 1680s ~ 120

Lorin on the contredance à deux ~ 126

Lorin on the contredance à quatre ~ 127

Lorin on the contredance à six ~ 128

Lorin on doubling up a contredanse ~ 130

Lorin on contredances for fixed numbers ~ 132

Lorin on contradance medleys ~ 133

Lorin on contradance introductions ~ 134

Lorin on dance invention ~ 135

A concordance of Lorin’s dances ~ 135

William Jones and the ‘Parties of six’ ~ 137

Improper contradances ~ 139

The Courant ~ 141

Its importance ~ 141

Its evolution ~ 144

Wycherley’s and Pasch’s Courants ~ 146

The Minuet~ 153

Its origin—the Lully-invented theory~ 153

Its origin—the courant-derived theory~ 153

Its origin—the galliard-derived theory~ 153

Its origin—the branle-derived theory~ 154

Its origin—my ballo-derived theory~ 155

The spread of the Minuet ~ 157

Pavan and galliard ~ 158

The Pavan ~ 158

The Galliard ~ 159

The Polish Dance ~ 160

The ‘relay mixer’ ~ 161

Other dance forms ~ 162

The Rigaudon ~ 162

The Hornpipe and jig ~ 162

The Jig ~ 163

The Masquerade ~ 164

The Sarabande ~ 165

 

PART 1c: DANCE ELEMENTS ~ 168

Style ~ 169

Etiquette ~ 171

Etiquette according to Phillips ~ 171

Etiquette according to de Courtin ~ 172

Etiquette according to Rameau ~ 174

Kissing ~ 176

The Bow ~ 177

The honours that open and close a dance ~ 179

Formations ~ 185

Couple facing couple ~ 185

3-facing-3~ 185

Rounds ~ 185

Squares ~ 186

Couples on the periphery of dance space ~ 187

3-couple longways ~ 187

4 couple longways ~ 187

Non-progressive longways for as many as will ~ 187

Progressive longways for as many as will ~ 188

Other formations ~ 189

Holds and positions ~ 190

Arm and hand holds ~ 190

Orientations ~ 193

Presence ~ 193

Partner / contrary ~ 193

Top / bottom ~ 193

Heads / sides ~ 193

Up / down ~ 193

Above / below ~ 194

Proper / improper ~ 194

Figuring tendencies and propensities ~ 195

Timing ~ 195

Figure sequencing ~ 195

Figure echoing (relaying with overlap) ~ 196

Figures into and out of lines ~ 197

Counter-movements ~ 197

Figures ~ 199

Arches ~ 199

Arming ~ 199

Back-to-back ~ 200

Back Ring ~ 200

Cast (off) ~ 200

Chain / Bootlace ~ 201

Change (places) ~ 201

Circle ~ 203

Clapping ~ 204

Cross ~ 204

Fall ~ 205

Fall back / Back ~ 205

Figure ~ 206

Foot it~ 207

Gesture ~ 208

Go below ~ 209

Go about […] not turning your faces ~ 209

Go round about ~ 210

Gypsy ~ 210

Hands across ~ 210

Hands round ~ 210

Hey ~ 211

Kiss ~ 214

Lead ~ 214

Lead down / slip down ~ 214

Lead up a double ~ 215

Meet ~ 216

Open and close ~ 217

Poussette ~ 217

Right and left ~ 218

Set ~ 218

Set with elbow & foot / side with foot & elbow ~ 220

Sides / Siding ~ 221

To the left hand, etc ~ 222

Turn ~ 223

Turn back to back ~ 224

Turn off ~ 226

Turn single ~ 226

Up a double ~ 226

Weave ~ 226

Steps in general ~ 227

Simplicity in country dancing stepping~ 227

Variety in country dancing stepping ~ 227

Contradance stepping in 3/2 ~ 231

The gavotte step in longways country dancing ~ 233

Steps in the Spanish Pabana ~ 233

Steps in detail ~ 235

Assemblé ~ 235

Balancé ~ 235

Bazio / Vacío~ 235

Bourrée à deux mouvements (pas de) ~ 236

Cabriole / Cabriola / Caper ~ 236

Campanella ~ 238

Cargado ~ 239

Carrerilla ~ 239

Chassé ~ 240

Coupé ~ 240

Courante (pas de) 240

Courante (temps de) ~ 241

Cruzado ~ 241

Degagé ~ 241

Double ~ 241

Encaje ~ 242

Fleuret / Floreo / Floreta~ 242

Jetté ~ 243

Llamada ~ 243

Menuet (pas de) ~ 244

Paso ~ 244

Quatropeado ~ 244

Rompido ~ 245

Sacudido ~ 246

Saute / Sauté ~ 246

Simple / Single ~ 247

Sissone (pas de) ~ 247

Slip ~ 247

Tourné (Pas) ~ 248

 

PART 1d: DANCE TEACHING ~ 249

Dance as a study ~ 250

The Vocation ~ 252

Wycherley’s The gentleman-dancing master ~ 257

Publications ~ 268

John Playford’s 1651 English Dancing master ~ 268

Subsequent Dancing master editions ~ 272

Notation ~ 273

Playford’s system ~ 273

The search for a new system ~ 276

Lorin’s system(s) ~ 276

Favier’s system ~ 280

De la Haise’s system ~ 282

Beauchamp’s system ~ 282

Calling ~ 284

Anonymous works ~ 287

The Inns of Court manuscripts ~ 287

The Sloane manuscript ~ 288

Steps for country dancing manuscript ~ 288

BL Add. MS 41996 fol.18 ~ 289

Authors and their works ~ 290

Bargrave ~ 290

Beauchamp~ 290

Boys ~ 290

Bray ~ 291

de Pure ~ 292

Jaque ~ 292

Lorin ~ 292

Ménestrier ~ 293

Pasch ~ 294

Playford ~ 295

Selden ~ 299

Shirley ~ 299

Wycherley ~ 300