An Essay on ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCE

Nicholas Hilliard - Elizabeth I Playing the Lute c. 1580

INTRODUCTION
Queen Elizabeth I reigned as the British monarch from 1558 to 1603. During her
reign she was an enthusiastic patron of the arts, including theatre, music and
dancing and it is her enthusiasm for dance that is under consideration in this
essay.
The Early Dance Circle (EDC), a UK charity that aims to promote the enjoyment,
performance and study of historical dance in the UK and beyond, states on its
website that:
The country dance has been popularly regarded by some as Queen Elizabeth Is
legacy
to the dance world
This essay explores the reasonableness of this statement. Was the monarch
actually responsible for bringing this type of dance to the attention of the dance
world or were other factors also key to ensuring that this happened?
DEFINITIONS
Before discussing this question, we first need to be clear on what we are
referring to. English Country Dance is a genre of social dance for several
couples, the characteristic form of folk and courtly dances of the British Isles.
(Encyclopedia Britannica).
The social nature of these dances is evidenced in how they are performed. Sets
of couples arrange themselves in particular configerations, commonly longways
(a double file line for an indefinite number of couples, with men on one side and

women on the other), geometric, for two, three or four couples for upper classes
(or courtly dances) or circular, again for as many couples as space might allow
for lower classes (often outside).
Also, who are the dance world? In a literal definition, this could simply be in
relation to most people i.e. English Country Dancing becomes available as an
accessible form of dance to anyone. However, it is more likely a reference to
trained composers and dance-masters of that era, who in turn then embrace it
and create new songs and dances of this type i.e. it has gained formal
professional recognition and, with that, longevity (as evidenced by its existence
today).

BEFORE THE REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH I

Henry VIII. The other monarchs. Dances of the period.

EUROPEAN INFLUENCES
Troubadors
The Italian Renaissance. French dance.

EARLY YEARS OF THE REIGN (1558-1571)

QE1s upbringing. Galliard, pavane

LATER YEARS OF THE REIGN (1572-1603)

Visits to the country, adopting of country dances at court

AFTER QE1S REIGN

Playford

Regency period

(Source, emeraldvalleyregency.org)

Caricature of a "longways" country dance by Rowlandson, 2nd half of the 1790's.

CONCLUSION
This essay has looked at the reasonableness of the statement The country
dance has been popularly regarded by some as Queen Elizabeth Is legacy to the
dance world, by exploring other key factors that may have influenced its
popularity.
There is clear evidence that country dancing, in couples, was already taking
place, usually quite energetically, among the lower classes (on the village green)
in England well before Queen Elizabeth Is reign. However, although there is
some evidence that the Renaissance dances might have been influenced by
more lively Italian country dancing, it does seem clear that the monarchs
decision to have country dances accepted at court was key to having English
Country Dance accepted by the formal dance world.
Following this, country dance became widely accepted by both upper and lower
classes, and the mixing of classes at social events became more common.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Encyclopedia Britannica (online) at http://www.britannica.com/art/country-dance
Sharp, C, 1924, The Dance: An Historical Survey of Dancing in Europe, London,
Halton & Truscott Smith Ltd
Wood, M, 1937 (Dec), Some Notes on English Country Dancing before Playford,
Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society 3 (2). 93-99.

Lincoln, K, 1969, Dance, New York, Dance Horizons

NOTES

1. Encyclopedia Britannica (www.britannica.com/art/countrydance)

Country dance

British dance
Written by: The Editors of Encyclopdia Britannica 0
READ VIEW HISTORY EDIT FEEDBACK
country dance, genre of social dance for several couples, the characteristic form
of folk and courtly dances of the British Isles. In England after about 1550, the
term country dancing referred to a dance of the upper classes; similar dances,
usually called traditional, existed contemporaneously among country people and
persisted in popular tradition.

Country dances are performed in three characteristic formations: (1) circular, for
an indefinite number of couples (round dances), (2) longways set, double-file
line for an indefinite number of couples, men on one side, women on the other,
and (3) geometric formations (e.g., squares, triangles) or sets, usually for two,
three, or four couples. The dancers execute a succession of varied patterns of
figures. In progressive-longways dances, continuous interchange brings a new
leading couple to the head of the set with each repetition of the pattern of
figures. Round and longways dances predominate in the folk tradition. Longways
and geometric sets are more frequent among courtly dances.

The patterns of the English country dances are similar to those of Irish set
dances and of Scottish country dances such as reels and strathspeys. The step
work of English dances, however, is simpler and the styling less formal.

Country dances from England were assimilated into the traditional dance of other
countriese.g., Portugal and Denmark. English colonists carried them to North
America, where they began a new folk-dance tradition as the contra, or
longways dance (e.g., the Virginia reel), and, in modified form, as the American
square dance.

Courtly dances also were exported from England. Longways and geometric sets
appeared in Italy by the 15th century. The 18th-century French contredanse was
at first based on English country dances and later evolved into independent
varieties; by the 19th century it had spread to Germany and back to England.
Although country dance originated as folk dance, the historical sources for its
figures and music are urban and courtly: Italian (15th16th century), English

(16th19th century), and French (18th century). The chief English source is John
Playfords The English Dancing Master of 1650, continued in additional volumes
until 1728 and critically revised in 1957 by M.J. Dean-Smith.

Cecil Sharp (18591924), founder of the English Folk Dance Society, made
extensive collections of rural country dances at a time when they were in danger
of dying out and was largely responsible for their 20th-century revival. The Royal
Scottish Country Dance Society has published traditional dances dating back to
the 17th century and modern dances in traditional style. Popular country dances
include Nonesuch, Hunsdon House, Morpeth Rant, Corn Rigs, and Old Mole.

2. www.elizabethan-era.org.uk

Elizabethan Dance

Elizabethan Music - Elizabethan Dance

Elizabethan Music complemented the different forms of Elizabethan Dance.
Dancing was an extremely popular pastime during the Elizabethan era. Dancing
in the Elizabethan era was considered "a wholesome recreation of the mind and
also an exercise of the body". The emergence of different styles of music and
new musical instruments combined with various experiments combining different
instruments led to new dances being created. Elizabethan dance varied
according to the social class.

Elizabethan Music
The court dances enjoyed by royalty, nobility and the Upper classes were often
imported from Italy, Spain or France. These dance forms varied considerably
from the energetic Galliard to the refined and stately Pavane. The lower classes
enjoyed the more traditional country dances such as the Jig, Morris Dancing or
the Brand or the Brawle which were closely associated with the customs and
festivals celebrated in Elizabethan England.

Elizabethan Dance - Dances of the Upper Class

Elizabethan dances differed between the Upper and Lower Classes. The Upper
Classes enjoyed new types of music at court. They had a taste for new music and
new dances.
Many courtiers travelled abroad and returned to the Elizabethan court with
dances from Italy, Spain and France. These foreign influences were found in the
development of new Elizabethan court dances and music. These new dances had
to be learnt and Dancing Masters were suitably employed. These Elizabethan
dances were highly sophisticated and stately with intricate steps and nuances,
although the old favorite English country dances were still popular. Many of the
Court dances were performed as couples and the suggestive Elizabethan court

dance called the Volt was the only dance which allowed the dancers to embrace
closely. The form of entertainment called the Masque was popular with the Upper
classes. Masques were accompanied with music and dance at the beginning and
end of the performances and during the interludes. The dances which
accompanied the masques had unusual names such as the 'Tinternell', 'Maske of
Queens', 'The Earl of Essex's Measure', Lord Zouch's Maske and the 'Turkeylony' many of these titles reflected the names of the patrons. The most important
Elizabethan dances were the Pavan, Galliards and Almain.

Elizabethan Dance - The influence of Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth encouraged music and dancing amongst all of her subjects. She
was a patron of all the Arts and encouraged the work of Elizabethan composers
and musicians. She had been taught to play musical instruments as part of her
education and was a skilled musician of the lute and the virginal. Her education
also included learning to dance. Queen Elizabeth and her court used dance as a
means of daily exercise. In the morning she would perform as many as seven
Galliards, one of the most demanding and energetic of all the Elizabethan
dances. She continued this strenuous form of dancing until her late fifties. She
expected all her courtiers to be proficient in dancing. The handsome Christopher
Hatton was well known as one of the most accomplished dancers who the Queen
admired. Her admiration of Christopher Hatton led to jealous fits from Robert
Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. Dudley was also a fine dancer and a wealthy patron
of many Elizabethan composers and musicians. The court composers often
named their works in honour of their patrons and the Leicester Dance was
named accordingly.

List and description of Elizabethan Dances of the Upper Class

Many simple country dances were performed by the Elizabethan nobility and
these are detailed in the appropriate section below. It was impossible for many of
these dances to be performed by the Lower Classes as many of the instruments
used were large, such as the keyboard instruments or not suitable for outdoor
use. The following list details and the dances specifically performed by the
Elizabethan Upper Classes:

The Pavane, Pavan - A stately court processional dance where Elizabethan

couples paraded around the hall lightly touching fingers. Pavane means peacock
and the name of the dance derives from the sight of the trains of the women's
gowns trailing across the floor like a peacock's tail. It comprised of a pattern of
five steps, hence its alternative name 'Cinque pas'
The Cinque Pas meaning five steps, an alternative name for the Pavane
The Galliard - A lively dance, originating from the fifteenth-century, which usually
followed and complemented the Pavane
Sinkapace - Another name for a Pavane

The Almain - the Almain was one of the Elizabethan principal accompanied by
keyboard instruments and lute music
The Volt, Volte, Lavolta - Elizabethan court dance was the only dance which
allowed the dancers to embrace closely. In this suggestive dance the women
were lifted high in the air by their male partner
The Gavotte - Described by the Dancing Master Arbeau in 1588 it became known
as 'La Danse Classique'. Danced in couples in a circle to a medium tempo.
Developed into Kissing dance which probably accounts for its popularity.
The Courant or Courante - Sophisticated, slow-moving dance which originated in
France
The Saraband - Another sophisticated, slow-moving dance which originated in
France
The Tourdion - Similar to the Galliard but a little more sedate
Ballet - A formal and courtly Italian dance form established at the French court in
the sixteenth century, It was originally danced both by courtiers but now danced
by professionals
Saltarella, Saltarello, Salterello - a fast dance of Italian origin similar to the
Galliard
The Canary - a Spanish dance described as as 'gay but nevertheless strange and
fantastic with a strong barbaric flavour'. Its popularity in France led to its
importation into England

Elizabethan Dance - Dances for the Lower Class

The Elizabethan Lower Classes were not in the position to hear the new court
music or learn the intricate steps of the Court dances. Their only contact with
these innovations, and as with the latest fashions, would have been through the
theatres. These English country dances were danced by couples in round,
square, or rectangular sets in much simpler and repetitive forms and less
intricate steps. The dances of the Elizabethan Lower Class would therefore be
very different to those of the Elizabethan Upper Class. The dances would have
been passed down through the generations and the different types of country
dances were popular with everyone. The dances of the Lower Classes would have
been performed at fairs and festivals, many of which were dictated by the
changing seasons and the calendar of Church events. Many of the dances of the
Elizabethan Lower classes were steeped in old customs and rituals, such as
dancing around the Maypole. The Christmas festival included the carole which
was the most popular dance-song which could be danced in a circle, or in a
chain, or as a processional. Our modern Christmas Carols are derived from this
practice.

List and description of Elizabethan Dances of the Lower Class

The following list details and the dances performed by the Elizabethan Lower
Classes:

Brand, Brawle, Branle - the first dance often performed during celebratory
gatherings and was also immensely popular as a concluding dance for masque
revels. This circle dance featured sideways steps
The Jig or Gigge aka Port - the jig traditionally involved 'leaps'
The Hornpipe - a lively dance resembling a jig which eventually became
associated with sailors. Often accompanied by a pipe with a reed mouthpiece
Roundel - Any dances which were performed in circle also called a ring-dance
Dump, Dumpe or Dompe - Dance accompanied by the lute
Buffoons - Comic characters who originally featured in ritual dancing such as
Morris dances. The theme survived in the Buffoon country dance and also in
court masques
Maypole Dance - Dated back to the English pagan era where the maypole
represented a symbol of fertility. Dancers dance in a circle each holding a
coloured ribbon attached to a central pole
Morris Dance - Often danced with handkerchiefs or sticks to embellish the hand
movements
Elizabethan Country Dances
The names of different Elizabethan Country dances are both interesting and
amusing. Their names reflect the types of dance and also common country
activities. The following are a list of the names of different Elizabethan Country
dances:

Black Nag

Gathering Peascods

Bransle Hay

Chirping of the Nightingale

Cuckolds All In A Row

The Fryar and the Nun

Hyde Park

Hole in the Wall

Jack a Lent

Jenny Pluck Pears

The Mayd peept out at the window

Merry Merry Milke Maids

Petticoat Wag

Punks Delight

Picking Up Sticks

The Bear Dance

Rufty Tufty

Saturday night and Sunday morn

Strip the Willow

Sellenger's Round

Washerwomen's Bransle

Trenchmore (The Hunting of the Fox)

Elizabethan Festivals when Dances were performed

The major events in the Elizabethan's lives, both the Upper and Classes, were
dominated by Christian festivals. In the Dark Ages old pagan rituals were
combined with the new Christian festivals in order to ensure their acceptance by
the common people. The following list of Elizabethan festivals reflect some
pagan rituals and beliefs, some of which, like the Maypole dance was Pagan in
origin.

January - Twelfth Night festival and feasts featuring Elizabethan dance

February - St Valentine's Day the Elizabethan festival celebrating love with
singing, dancing and pairing games
April - All Fool's Day. The Jesters, or Lords of Misrule of the Elizabethan court took
charge for the day and their activities included different forms of dancing and
odd suggestions for couples
May Day - The Elizabethan traditional festival where villagers danced around the
maypole
June - Midsummer Eve and the summer Solstice of June 23rd was celebrated with
bonfires and dance
July - Swithin's Day falls on 15th July
August - Lammas Day was on August 2nd celebrating the first wheat harvest of
the year. Candle lit processions, dance and apple-bobbing was featured.
September - 29th September was when Michaelmas celebrations included
dancing
October - October 25th celebrating St Crispin's Day with Revels, dancing and
bonfires
November - The Day of the Dead, All Souls Day or All Hallow's Day ( Halloween )
was celebrated with revels, dance and bonfires
December - The feasts and Christmas celebrations including Elizabethan dancing
Interesting Facts and Information about Elizabethan Music and Elizabethan Dance
Some interesting facts and information about Elizabethan Music and Elizabethan
Dance

Elizabethan Elizabethan Dance

Details, facts and information about the Elizabethan Dance and Elizabethan
Music can be accessed via the Elizabethan Era Sitemap.

Elizabethan Dance

Elizabethan Dance
Famous Elizabethan Dancing Masters
Elizabethan Dance - The influence of Queen Elizabeth
Elizabethan Dances for the Upper Class
Elizabethan Dances for the Lower Class
List and description of Elizabethan Dances of the Upper Class
List and description of Elizabethan Dances of the Lower Class
Elizabethan Country Dances
Elizabethan Festivals when Dances were performed

3. The Early Dance Circle

ThefirstprintedsourcefortheCountryDanceinBritainisthepublicationbyJohnPlayfordin1651
ofTheEnglishDancingMaster,acollectionof104dances,eachpresentedwithitsownmusic.This
volumeoftunesanddanceinstructionswasthefirstofeighteeneditionsthatappearedoverthenext
seventysevenyears.Manyofthedancesinthatfirsteditionprobablyderivefromearliertimes,but,
despiteliteraryreferencestothetitlesofcertainofthedances,therearenospecificchoreographies
priortothispublication.(ThesecondandsubsequenteditionsdroppedthewordEnglishfromthetitle,
becomingsimplyTheDancingMaster.)

NorwichHistoricalDance

Today,EnglishCountryDancecontinuestothriveundertheaegisoftheEnglishFolkDanceand
SongSociety,thankstoCecilSharp,andoccupiesanimportantpartoftheinternationaldanceworld.

Itsearlierformsarenowincreasinglybeingreconstructedfromanhistoricalpointofview.(Seethe
bibliographybelow.)
ScottishCountryDancegrewfromthetraditionofPlayford,laterinfluencedbyFrenchcontredanse.
Inmorerecenttimes,itowesitsrevivaltoDrJeanMilliganandMrsYsobelStewart,jointfounder
membersofwhatbecametheRoyalScottishCountryDanceSociety.

Historicaldevelopment
ThecountrydancehasbeenpopularlyregardedbysomeasQueenElizabethIslegacytothedance
world.Akeendancerherself,sheencouragedthesedancesathercourt.However,theywerenotsome
formoffolkdance,butanimportantpastimeforthemoreeducatedandwealthyclassesofthe
Renaissance.TheycametobeseenasspecificallyEnglish.
Theseventeenthcenturysawthegreatestfloweringofthecountrydancewhich,contraryto
commonbelief,wasnotsuppressedbyCromwellspuritanregime.Indeed,dancingcontinuedtobe
enjoyedintheprivacyofthelonggalleriesofcountryhouses,spacesthatwereideallysuitedtothe
evolvinglongwaysformationofthecountrydance,forasmanyaswill.ThefirsteditionofThe
EnglishDancingMasterwaspublishedameretwoyearsafterCharlesIsexecutionin1649.

FirstEdition,Playford
On31December1662,SamuelPepysrecordedadiaryentrydescribingavisittoWhitehall,wherehe
sawaformalballinprogress:ThentoCountrydances;theKingleadingthefirstwhichhecalledfor;
whichwassayshe,CuckoldsallarowtheolddanceofEngland.

CuckoldsallarowinthefirsteditionofTheEnglishDancingMaster(1651)
ManyeighteenthcenturydancingmastersandmusicpublishersfollowedPlayfordslead,composing
newdancesandpublishinginincreasingprofusion,withnameslikeBray,Kynaston,Walsh,
RutherfordandThompsondominatingthescene.
KellomTomlinsoninTheArtofDancing(1735)saidofcountrydancethatitisbecomeasitwere
theDarlingorfavouriteDiversionofallRanksofPeoplefromtheCourttotheCottageintheir
differentMannersofDancing.
ThroughouttheeighteenthcenturyinEngland,theformalminuetalwaysopenedtheproceedingsat
Assemblies,afterwhichcountrydanceswereenjoyed.Comparingcountrydancetotheintricaciesof
balletsteps,awriter,identifiedonlyasALadyofQuality,inAMirroroftheGraces(1811)made
thefollowingobservation,Theircharacteristhatofgaysimplicity.Thestepsshouldbefewandeasy,
andthecorrespondingmotionsofthearmsandbodyunaffected,modestandgraceful.Inother
words,suchdancingshouldberelaxedandenjoyable.Ofcourse,manyofthedancepatternsare
neverthelesssatisfyinglycomplex.
ThomasWilsonwasthelast(andmostprolific)ofthepublishersofcountrydances.Hisfinal
publicationappearedin1821,whencountrydancingwasbeinggraduallysupersededbythe
increasinglypopularquadrillesandcoupledances.
PrimarySources
T. Bray, Country Dances (London, 1699).
N. Dukes, A Concise & Easy Method of Learning the figuring parts of country
dances (London, 1752).
R. A. Feuillet, Receil de contredanses (Paris, 1706).
N. Kynaston, Twenty-eight new country dances for the year 1710 (London, 1709).
J. Playford, The English Dancing Master ( London, 1651); various editions up to c.1728;
facsimile of 1st ed.(London, 1957); reprints ed. H. Mellor & L. Bridgewater, with tunes in
modern notation (London, 1933, & New York, 1975); D. Wilson ed., Historical Playford,
Cambridge, 2001).
J. Walsh & P. Randall, The Compleat Country Dancing Master (London, 1718).
ThecollectionsofPlayford,Bray,Kynaston,Walsh,Thompson,RutherfordandWilsonaremostly

rarebooksnotgenerallyavailableoutsidespecialistlibraries.Theprincipallibraryforstudying
EnglishCountryDanceistheVaughanWilliamsMemorialLibraryatCecilSharpHouse,2Regents
ParkRoad,London,NW17AY.
Performingversionsofanumberofdancesaregiveninthefollowing:
N. Broadbridge & M. Fennessy, Purcells Dancing Master (Lanark, 1997) [with CD].
N. Broadbridge, A Neal Ball: 20 Dances from J & W Neals Choice Collection 1726 (Lanark,
2012) [with CD].
D. Cruickshank, The Lovers Luck: twenty country dances by Thomas Bray 1699
(Salisbury, 2001) [with CDs].
P. Dixon, Dances from the Courts of Europe, vols. IV, V, VII-IX (Nonsuch/Eglinton
Productions) [with cassettes].
C. Helwig & M. Barron, Thomas Brays Country Dances (New Haven, 1988) [with
cassette].
K. Van Winkle Keller & G. Shimer, The Playford Ball (London, 1990).
A. Shaw, Mr Kynastons Famous Dance (Altrincham, 2000) [with CD/cassette].

P. Shaw, Holland as seen in the English Country Dance (Netherlands, 1960)

Regency Dancing 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6thMntv2d4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwiaxJMdPBM
Country dancing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpNDS6IASVU
Country dance
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from English Country Dance)
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Country Dance (disambiguation).

A comical 18th-century country dance - engraving by Hogarth

A country dance is any of a large number of social dances of the
British Isles in which couples dance together in a figure or "set",
each dancer dancing to his or her partner and each couple dancing
to the other couples in the set.

Introduced to France and then Germany and Italy in the course of

the 17th century, country dances gave rise to the contradanse, one
of the significant dance forms in classical music. Introduced to
America by French immigrants, it remains popular in the United
States of America as contra dance and had great influence upon
Latin American music as contradanza. The Anglais (from the French
word meaning "English") or Angloise is another term for the English
country dance.
X
X
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X
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Contents [hide]
1 Characteristics
2 History
3 Influence
4 Revival
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
X
7.1 History
X
7.2 Interpretation
X
7.3 Dance associations
X
7.4 General
Characteristics[edit]
Main article: Country dance terminology
The term "country dance" may refer to any of a large number of
figure-dances that originated on village greens.
However the most common formation is the "longways" set in which
men and women form two lines facing each other. The "Roger de
Coverley", which was for some time the only well-known country
dance in England, and "The Grand Old Duke of York" are among the
most familiar examples of this kind of dance. Couples form two lines
along which each travels at the end of each iteration of figures,
meeting new couples and repeating the series of figures many
times. Alternatively, dances can be finite, a set forming an
independent unit within which the series of figures is repeated a
limited number of times. These dances are often non-progressive,
each couple retaining their original positions.
Country dancing is intended for general participation, unlike folk
dances such as clogging, which are primarily concert dances, and
ballroom dances in which dancers dance with their partners
independently of others. Bright, rhythmic and simple, country
dances had appeal as a refreshing finale to an evening of stately
dances such as the minuet.
History[edit]

A village country dance - engraving by Abraham Bosse, 1633.

Country dances began to influence courtly dance in the 15th

century
John Playford's The English Dancing Master (1651) listed over a
hundred tunes, each with its step. This was enormously popular,
reprinted constantly for 80 years and much enlarged. Playford and
his successors had a practical monopoly on the publication of dance
manuals until 1711, and ceased publishing around 1728. During this
period English country dances took a variety of forms including finite
sets for two, three and four couples as well as circles and squares.

Lorin's contradanse choreography, one of the earliest western dance

notations
The country dance was introduced to the court of Louis XIV of
France, where it became known as contredanse, and later to
Germany and Italy. Andr Lorin, who visited the English court in the
late 17th century, presented a manuscript of dances in the English
manner to Louis XIV on his return to France. In 1706 Raoul Auger
Feuillet published his Receil de Contredances, a collection of
"contredanses anglaises" presented in a simplified form of
Beauchamp-Feuillet notation and including some dances invented
by the author as well as authentic English dances. This was
subsequently translated into English by John Essex and published in
England as For the Further Improvement of Dancing.
By the 1720s the term contradanse had come to refer to longways
sets for three and two couples, which would remain normative until
English country dance's eclipse.

For some time British publishers issued annual collections of these

dances in popular pocket-books. Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and
Thomas Hardy all loved country dancing and put detailed
descriptions into their novels. But the vogue for the waltz and the
quadrille ousted the country dance from English ballrooms in the
early 19th century, though Scottish country dance remained
popular.
Influence[edit]

The "La Trnis" figure of the Contredanse, an illustration from Le Bon

Genre, Paris, 1805
The French contredanse, arriving independently in the American
colonies, became the New England contra dance, which experienced
a resurgence in the mid-20th century. The quadrille evolved into
square dance in the United States while in Ireland it contributed to
the development of modern Irish set dance. English country dance
in Scotland developed its own flavour and became the separate
Scottish country dance. English Ceilidh is a special case, being a
convergence of English, Irish and Scottish forms. In addition certain
English country dances survived independently in the popular
repertoire. One such is the Virginia Reel, which is almost exactly the
same as the 'Sir Roger de Coverley'.
The contradanza, the Spanish and Spanish-American version of the
contradanse, which was an internationally popular style of music
and dance in the 18th century, derived from the English country
dance and adopted at the court of France. The contradanza was
popular in Spain and spread throughout Spanish America during the
18th century, where it took on folkloric forms that still exist in
Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Panama and Ecuador. In Cuba
during the 19th century it became an important genre, the ancestor
of danzon, mambo and cha cha cha. Haitians fleeing the Haitian
Revolution of 1791 brought to the Cuban version a Creole influence
and a new syncopation.
The Engelska (Swedish for "English") or Danish Engelsk is a 16-bar
Scandinavian folk dance in 2/4.
Revival[edit]

1
2

Country dance, Queensland, about 1910

Only due to the efforts of Cecil Sharp, Mary Neal and the English
Folk Dance and Song Society in the late 19th and early 20th century
did a revival take place, so that for some time schoolchildren were
taught country dances. In the early 20th century, traditional and
historical dances began to be revived in England. Neal, one of the
first to do so, was principally known for her work in ritual dances,
but Cecil Sharp, in the six volumes of his Country Dance Book,
published between 1909 and 1922, attempted to reconstruct English
country dance as it was performed at the time of Playford, using the
surviving traditional English village dances as a guide, as the
manuals defined almost none of the figures described. Sharp and his
students were, however, almost wholly concerned with English
country dances as found in the early dance manuals:
The first collection of modern English country dances since the
1820s, Maggot Pie, was published in 1932, though only in the late
20th century did modern compositions become fully accepted.
See also[edit]
dance
portal
Country and Western dance
Baroque dance
Social dance
English Ceilidh
Choreography and figures in contra dances
Folk dance
Quadrille
Square dance
Maypole
Stave dancing
Angloise (L. Mozart)
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Wilson, Thomas (1808). An Analysis of Country Dancing.
London: W. Calvert.
Jump up ^ Aldrich, Elizabeth (1998). "Transition From Renaissance
Dance To Baroque Dance". Western Social Dance: An Overview of

the Collection. The Library of Congress / American Memory. Archived

from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
3 Jump up ^ "Music Dictionary : An - An". Music Dictionary Online.
Dolmetsch Online. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
4 ^ Jump up to: a b c d Percy A. Scholes, The Oxford Companion to
Music, O.U.P. 1970, article Country dance.
5 Jump up ^ Lincoln Kirstein, Dance, Dance Horizons Incorporated,
New York, 1969, p. 119
6 Jump up ^ Wood, Melusine (December 1937). "Some Notes on the
English Country Dance before Playford". Journal of the English Folk
Dance and Song Society 3 (2): 9399.
7 Jump up ^ Cunningham, J. P. (December 1962). "The Country
Dance: Early References". Journal of the English Folk Dance and
Song Society 9 (3): 148154.
8 Jump up ^ Copies of these books may be found online:Receil de
Contredances (1706) by Raoul Auger Feuillet, and For the further
Improvement of Dancing (1710) by John Essex
9 ^ Jump up to: a b Thurston, Hugh (December 1952). "The
Development of the Country Dance as Revealed in Printed Sources".
Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society 7 (1): 2935.
10 Jump up ^ Sharp, Cecil (1924). The Dance: An Historical Survey of
Dancing in Europe.
11 Jump up ^ Lincoln Kirstein, Dance, Dance Horizons Incorporated,
New York, 1969, p. 212
12 Jump up ^ "History of Cuban Music". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
13 Jump up ^ The History of Latin American Dance by Jessica Martinez
14 Jump up ^ "Enkel Engelska 1997 by SMF". Folkdancing.com.
Retrieved 2013-12-09.
15 Jump up ^ "Dansk Spillemansmuik (1660-1999)" (PDF) (in Danish).
Nodenek.dk. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
16 Jump up ^ Walkowitz, Daniel J. (2010). City Folk: English Country
Dance and the Politics of Folk in Modern America. New York
University Press.
17 Jump up ^ Sharp, Cecil J. (1911). The Country Dance Book, Part II.
Novello and Company, Ltd.
Jump up ^ "Maggot Pie". Retrieved 18 November 2012. http://wwwssrl.slac.stanford.edu/~winston/ecd/origins_and_evolution.htmlx

ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCING - ORIGINS AND

EVOLUTION
[This introduction and description was posted to the ECD list by Gene Murrow in
January, 2006. The rest of the text is in Gene's voice. -- Alan Winston]

Denizens of the ECD list would perhaps find my summary (appended below) of
ECD's origins and development useful. I would certainly be interested in reactions,
suggestions, and corrections. It was written as "notes" for programs I presented
with two highly regarded professional early music ensembles in America: the
Baltimore Consort and the Newberry Consort. The audiences were "general" in
that they were unfamiliar with ECD. Many, however, were academics and familiar
with music, art, and cultural history. So I had to be engaging and enthusiastic, but
careful.
The notes are the result of my longtime interest in ECD's origins. At the 1996
Amherst Assembly week-long workshop on the history and evolution of the genre,
we reviewed much of the source and secondary material noted by Allison. Points
made in this recent thread by Steve, Tom, Michael, Alan and others were debated at
length. Among the presenters were professional dance historians like Kate (Kitty)
van Winkle Keller, Dorothy Olsson, and Julia Sutton, as well as informed
laypeople Chip Hendricksen, Christine Helwig, Helene Cornelius, Jacqueline
Schwab, and others who had been doing important research.
Certainly not the final word, but I hope accurate and useful...

INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNTRY DANCE by Gene Murrow

The "English country dance" emerged as a distinct genre during the reign of
Elizabeth I in the 16th century. While evidence provides no definitive answer as to
its origins, it appears to have been an amalgamation of the Continental courtly
dances brought to the Elizabethan court by Italian and other dancing masters
known to have been present, and the vernacular dances done by the English
country "folk." In her periodic "progresses" by which she traveled throughout her
realm, Elizabeth had opportunity to observe these indigenous folk dances, and
manuscripts of the time document her pleasure at seeing them:

"Her Majesty that Saturday night was lodgid again in the Castell of Warwick,
where she rested all Sonday, where it pleased her to have the country people,
resorting to see her, daunce in the court of the Castell, her Majestie beholding them
out of the chamber window, which thing, as it pleased well the country people, so it
seemed her Majesty was much delighted, and made very myrry." [from Nichol's
Progresses, ed. 1823, I, 319].
As dancing was held in high esteem at court, it seems likely that dancing masters
would attempt to create new dances that would garner approval from the monarch
and her courtiers. Interest in the new form of country dancing spread from the
royal court to other artistocratic and cultured venues, including grand country

houses and the Inns of Court in London, wherein young law students were housed
and schooled. In 1651, the noted London publisher John Playford produced the
first printed collection of country dances for sale, titled "The English Dancing
Master," which contained the music and instructions for 105 dances [the first dance
in the collection, "Upon a Summers Day" is on today's program]. It sold well, and a
second edition was produced the following year. In all, Playford and later his son
Henry Playford and others, produced 18 editions until 1728, adding or deleting
dances as fads and fashions changed.
Country dancing gained popularity throughout England, as well as Scotland,
Ireland, Europe, and the American colonies. Public "assemblies" introduced in the
18th century, held in publicly accessible ballrooms such as the Assembly Rooms at
Bath, made country dancing available to the new, rising middle classes as well as
the aristocracy. Publishers and choreographers competed with annual collections of
new dances to feed the growing appetite, and dancing masters built careers
teaching style and repertoire.
Interest in the English country dance peaked in the late 18th century (as described,
for example, in Jane Austen's novels and letters), and then quickly faded as social
dancing in society was revolutionized by the introduction of the waltz, polka, and
other couple dances in the early 19th century.
Dormant for 100 years, interest in the English country dance was re-awakened
during a period of cultural nationalism that surfaced in England and other
European countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cecil Sharp, an
English musicologist and teacher, is credited as the primary re-discoverer of the
country dance, both in its surviving vernacular form in the small villages of the
English countryside, and in the 17th-century printed collections of Playford and
others intended for the cultured classes. Sharp re-interpreted country dances for
contemporary audiences, and tirelessly promoted the genre as suitable for schools
and youth groups as well as adults who he felt should have their great traditional
dancing "returned" to them.
Interest in these dances continued to grow in the 20th century. In the last 30 years,
hundreds of new dances and tunes in English country dance style have been
composed by English, American, and European composers in a burst of creativity
surpassing even that of the 18th century. The majority of dances on today's
program are from the 17th century, with a sampling of those composed by later
dancing masters and those living today.

John Gardiner-garden Vol II & Vol III

Introduction
Historic Dance I: 1450-1550

Like all 10 volumes in this series this is an A4 book by Dr John Gardiner-Garden w

pages of research, discussion and analysis, with hundreds of illustrations, music
reconstructions, source extracts, transcriptions and translations, and with each
into five parts.
Part 1 (Dance context) explores the social, political and geographic contexts
and the institution of the ball was evolving.

The official website of the British Monarchy

http://www.royal.gov.uk/historyofthemonarchy/kingsandqueensofeng
land/thetudors/elizabethi.aspx
Elizabeth I (r.1558-1603)

Elizabeth I - the last Tudor monarch - was born at Greenwich on 7 September 1533, the daughter of
Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn.

The arts flourished during Elizabeth's reign. Country houses such as Longleat and Hardwick Hall were
built, miniature painting reached its high point, theatres thrived - the Queen attended the first

performance of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Composers such as William Byrd and
Thomas Tallis worked in Elizabeth's court and at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.