Dance Notations Published in England c. 1700-1740 and Related Manuscript Material

Abstract

Work is in progress on a bibliographical study of notations for court and theatre dances published in England between c. 1700 and c. 1740. The aim of this research is to provide a secure documentary basis for the study of baroque court and theatre dance, by means of a systematic record and analysis of the extant notations. Such background is essential to any attempt to place baroque dance in its proper historical context and also provides a valuable starting point for modern reconstruction and performance of the dances concerned, as well as throwing light on developments in theatre dance after the early 18th century. We have excluded country dances (published or manuscript) from the project, since they form a source extensive enough to demand study in their own right, and because they illustrate an aesthetic and cultural aspect of early-18th-century life which may be regarded as quite distinct from that represented by court and theatre dance.