Abstract
The popularity of French-style dance music in Restoration England reflected a move away from a contrapuntal approach to composing airs (the contemporary collective term for non-imitative music) between c.1650 and c.1680. The stylistic novelty of these dances in England rested on their melody-oriented style. With a stronger sense of harmonic structure, the melodic line is often purposefully directed towards the cadences, in contrast to airs composed according to older principles of cantus firmus elaboration where these features tend to be lacking.
The importance of this type of music was noted by the historian Roger North, who observed that English composers of the Restoration introduced mannerisms associated with French-style dance music in a wide range of genres (‘all the compositions of the towne’). In genres such as the symphony anthem or opera the use of these mannerisms reflected concepts derived from Roman antiquity of imitation and emulation, whereby authors sought to draw upon and strive beyond predecessor works, typically by evoking the structural devices and scorings of the models, rather than thematic materials. In consort dances from the 1660s and 1670s, however, English composers demonstrably used melodic models found among a repertory of dance melodies known as ‘The Tunes of the usual French Dances at COURT and DANCING SCHOOLS’ published as melodies by John Playford between 1654 and 1687 in the collections The Dancing Master and Apollo’s Banquet.
This chapter suggests that the use of melodic models in consort dances reflected compositional processes typical of dance repertories, which Locke and his contemporaries appear to have adopted. While the use of French Dance models in other genres cannot be related so directly to compositional processes, in consort dances English composers used a limited number of widely disseminated melodies that served as starting points for recreating French dance styles in the English context.
The importance of this type of music was noted by the historian Roger North, who observed that English composers of the Restoration introduced mannerisms associated with French-style dance music in a wide range of genres (‘all the compositions of the towne’). In genres such as the symphony anthem or opera the use of these mannerisms reflected concepts derived from Roman antiquity of imitation and emulation, whereby authors sought to draw upon and strive beyond predecessor works, typically by evoking the structural devices and scorings of the models, rather than thematic materials. In consort dances from the 1660s and 1670s, however, English composers demonstrably used melodic models found among a repertory of dance melodies known as ‘The Tunes of the usual French Dances at COURT and DANCING SCHOOLS’ published as melodies by John Playford between 1654 and 1687 in the collections The Dancing Master and Apollo’s Banquet.
This chapter suggests that the use of melodic models in consort dances reflected compositional processes typical of dance repertories, which Locke and his contemporaries appear to have adopted. While the use of French Dance models in other genres cannot be related so directly to compositional processes, in consort dances English composers used a limited number of widely disseminated melodies that served as starting points for recreating French dance styles in the English context.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Transitions in Mid-Baroque Music |
| Subtitle of host publication | Style, Genre and Performance |
| Editors | Carrie Churnside |
| Publisher | Boydell & Brewer |
| Chapter | 3 |
| Pages | 38-54 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781805433064 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781837651580 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |