A nineteenth‐century dancing master at the court of Württemberg: The dance notebooks of Michel St. Léon

Abstract

The importance of dance in courtly societies in the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries is well documented by dance historians who have chronicled the duties of dancing masters employed by royal and aristocratic families of Europe.' What may not be so well known is that this tradition continued into the nineteenth century, with responsibilities of a court dancing master continuing to include teaching dance technique, style, and repertoire; composing dances for social and theatrical occasions; giving fencing instruction; supervising court balls and festivals; and teaching correct deportment or manners. The dancing master, by definition, was also a musician, usually accompanying his lessons on a violin and often composing the music for his choreographies. Dance manuals written by dancing masters themselves testify to the high level of technical skill and complex choreographic repertoire that was within the range of their noble patrons and pupils.2 There emerges from these sources some four hundred years of remarkable consistency, both in the responsibilities of dancing masters and the masters' own high expectations of dance expertise