FRENCH COURT DANCE IN ENGLAND, 1706-1740: A STUDY OF THE SOURCES (DANCE MUSIC, NOTATION, DANCING MASTERS).
Item
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Title
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FRENCH COURT DANCE IN ENGLAND, 1706-1740: A STUDY OF THE SOURCES (DANCE MUSIC, NOTATION, DANCING MASTERS).
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Identifier
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AAI8508713
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identifier
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8508713
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Creator
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MARSH, CAROL.
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Contributor
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Raymond Erickson
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Date
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1985
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Music
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Abstract
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The "French noble style" of dance flourished in England during the first four decades of the eighteenth century, as evidenced by the six treatises and over seventy-five notated choreographies published between 1706 and 1740. This dissertation is the first systematic study of these sources.;In the first chapter information about the most important dancing master active in England is presented. Chapters two and three study the treatises published in England, both translations of French treatises and original English works. The existence of a previously unrecorded issue of one of these translations provides evidence for the chronology of the other issues, and suggests that care was taken to make the plates as accurate as possible. A detailed study of Tomlinson's Art of Dancing (1735) reveals that Tomlinson substantially revised his treatise after its completion in the mid-1720's in order to compete with another publication. Tomlinson's step notations and descriptions often differ from those in French treatises, and may reflect an English style of dance.;Chapter four investigates the English choreographies. Important contributions include proposed dates of publication and composition (often not the same) for a number of dances by Isaac, the foremost English choreographer during Queen Anne's reign.;Chapter five is primarily concerned with identifying the musical sources for the English dances. A significant finding was that English "social" dances were much more likely to use music composed specifically for the dance than are their French counterparts. Based on the evidence found in contemporary music sources, the existence of a "generic rigadoon," usually in compound-duple meter, is postulated.;Chapter six addresses the question of whether an English style of dance, different from the French, can be identified and defined. A number of parameters are considered, including choreographic notation, choice of music and dance types, vocabulary of steps, and dance/music relationships. A definitive answer to this question will require additional studies, and suggestions for further research are given in the concluding chapter.;There are three appendixes: information on over 150 English dancing masters, library locations for the choreographies (correcting and supplementing RISM), and bass lines for twenty of the dances.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Music
