16 Country Dance Tunes and Dances
From the early18th c
Kerry Ashdown’s press report in the Staffordshire Newsletter of the 2 Aug. ’07
A Stafford folk fan is bringing centuries–old dances back onto the floor with the launch of his first book. Geoffrey White is unveiling 16 Country Dance Tunes and Dances from the Early 18th Century later this month. He has been a member of Stafford Folk Dance Club for more than 35 years.
The Tixall Road resident used local historical documents to research his subject, including archives from the Stafford and Jerningham families. The current Lord Stafford has also contributed by writing the book’s foreword. Mr. White was inspired to embark on his quest by a talk on ‘Music in the Archives’ at Stafford Record Office in October 2005. He later researched the work of Johnson, an 18th century collector of country dances, and fellow Stafford Folk Dance Club members June Perry and Peter Stevens transcribed his pieces into modern English. He is looking forward to presenting a copy of the book to the William Salt Library once it is printed and is grateful for the help of county archivist Thea Randall in the research process.
He said " The early 18th century was a particularly prosperous time and the gentry would have had a lot of time to enjoy themselves. The dances would have been danced in long galleries and the tunes played on a double bass or cello, a violin or viola and a hautbois ( a form of oboe ). I have never published anything like this before. I thought I would do something that would provide a service and put these tunes into a printable form."
Also, Alan Powell added the chords to the melodies, and Elaine Bradtke of Vaughn Williams Memorial Library gave key advise during the research.
attributes from Geoffrey White's preface
In the absence of any thorough explanation of the term 'footing' in traditional folk dance books, and the presence of the term occurring in two of these dances, a definitive understanding is necessary. During the discussions summarised in the preface a picture immerged as to the practice of the period, and that has been described and recommended.
It has been thought desirable to transcribe the dances as they would have been performed in the period, and not depart from the high standards of the genre as then practiced .
From Madeleine Smith's review
" The tunes are pleasing jigs and reels of the period, which musicians should enjoy. One of the three tunes with no dance, ' The Colledge Hornpipe', is an unusual melody in the Dorian mode, which Elaine suggests the source was probably from an eighteenth-century ballad opera.
The country dances of that time were all longways, and the dance interpretations consist of duple minors, triple minors and one three couple set, which would have originally been a triple minor. The figures are all standard ones of the period. Two of the dances use the term 'foot it' in the notation, for these dances it is advised that the common practice of using 'any fancy steps you know' is followed.
It is good to know that old collections like these are still being uncovered, and the dances and tunes brought to life again."
From Robert Moir's review
"Geoffrey White has produced an interesting and scholarly work displaying a painstaking endeavour to present the information fairly and clearly. This well-presented book may be of interest to those who enjoy reading about the process of English Country Dance research and the history of the eighteenth century.
It will also be useful to modern dancing masters who are looking to widen their repertoire of dances of the period.
To all of the above I recommend it, applauding the dedicated hard work put in by Geoffrey White and his team."
ISBN 978-0-9556592-0-1
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