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An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals

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The dancing-master; or, Directions for dancing country-dances, with the tunes to each dance, for the treble-violin. Vol. the 2d.

OTHER TITLES
Dancing master.

Directions for dancing country-dances

CREATED/PUBLISHED
4th ed., containing 360 of the choicest old and new tunes now used at court, and other publick places. The whole work revised and done on the new-ty'd-note, and much more correct than any former editions.
London, Printed by W. Pearson and sold by J. Young, 1728.

SUMMARY
Originally published in 1650 under the title of The English dancing master, this work went through numerous editions from 1652 to 1728, first by John Playford (1623-1686?), then by Henry Playford, and, after 1706, by the publisher John Young. The treatise is considered an important work on English country dance, a form of dance where couples perform a series of set patterns. The work utilizes a rudimentary dance notation, and page one of the treatise is devoted to an explanation of the symbols. Each of the 360 dances contained in this last edition is given appropriate music, in the form of a treble line. Most of the dances are designated for longways sets of three couples, four couples, or "as many as will."

NOTES
First ed. published 1650 by John Playford under title: The English dancing-master.

SUBJECTS
Dance--England--Handbooks, manuals, etc.--Early works to 1800.
Country-dances.
Violin music.
Dance Instruction and Technical Manuals.
Notation for Dance.
Music for Dance.

RELATED NAMES
Playford, John, 1623-1686?

RELATED TITLES
English dancing master.

MEDIUM
360 p. 12 x 21 cm.

CALL NUMBER
MT950 .P68 1728

DIGITAL ID
musdi 233 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/musdi.233

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