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A Brief Survey of the Dances Popular in England During the Eighteenth Century

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

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Extract

The survey which I propose to take of the popular dances of the eighteenth century cannot profess to deal with any but the smallest part of the contents of the dance books which appeared in such numbers during the period now under our consideration.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Musical Association, 1895

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References

I have to thank Mr. T. W. Taphouse for this information respecting the “Bass” Minuet, which he supplied me with after the Lecture had been delivered.—F. C. W.Google Scholar

Other authorities are: Dr. Oscar Paul in his “Handlexicon der Tonkunst.” Schilling's “Lexicon der Tonkunst” (1835). Dr. Riemann. Lichtenthal in his “Dizionario della Musica” (1826). Stainer and Barrett. “A rustic dance of English origin.”Google Scholar

In the course of the Lecture I gave the date of the introduction of the Flauto traverso incorrectly as being about 1720. My mistake was later most kindly pointed out to me by Mr. Finn, to whom I am indebted for the following facts. It seems that the transverse flute can be traced right back into the Middle Ages, and many drawings of the instrument have come down to us from the sixteenth century. The works of S. Virdung (1511) and the translation by Luscinius (1536), Pretorius, and Agricola (1528) all contain well executed drawings of the side-blown flute. Rabelais, moreover, in his “Life of Gargantua” (circa 1535), states that Gargantua played on the German flute. If further evidence is required as to the early use of the so-called German flute in the sixteenth century, we have but to turn to Mr. C. Welch's “History of the Boehm flute,” where we find a drawing taken from a service book in the library of the Abbey of St. Gall (1562), representing angels playing a flute quartet.Google Scholar