Dance in the 1820's

Thomas Wilson, a leading dancing master of the late Georgian period describes country dancing in his book The Complete System of Country Dancing published in 1820, the year George IV came to the throne, in the following terms:

“A COUNTRY DANCE, As it is named, is almost universally known as the national Dance of the English and as correctly known, is constructed on mathematical and other scientific principles, clearly displayed in its operative effect, when properly and, well performed.

It is formed of two principal features, viz. Figures and Steps, which for, the execution, government, and. display of their several movements and evolutions, are united with their indispensable auxiliary, music: but, independent of the, scientific structure of the Dance, there are secondary features, named Ornaments and Embellishments, and which are necessary to the performance of the Figures and• Steps to the music, as they apply and are connected with each• other in a graceful and easy manner.

The Figures, which form various evolutionary movements in circular, serpentine, angular, and straight lines. are formed into a variety of different lengths and require a variety of different steps or movements of the feet in their performance to music appropriately adapted thereto.”

Corri and Dussek

Jan Ladislav Dussek (February 12, 1760 – March 20, 1812) was a Czech composer and pianist. He was an important representative of Czech music abroad in the second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century.

Dussek was one of the first piano virtuosi to travel widely throughout Europe. He performed at courts and concert venues from London to Saint Petersburg to Milan and was celebrated for his technical prowess. During a nearly ten-year stay in London, he was instrumental in extending the size of the pianoforte and was the recipient of one of John Broadwood's first 6-foot pianos. Harold Schonberg wrote that he was the first pianist to sit at the piano with his profile to the audience, earning him the appellation "le beau visage." All subsequent pianists have sat on stage in this manner. He was one of the best-regarded pianists in Europe before Beethoven's rise to prominence.

In the spring of 1791, Dussek appeared in a series of concerts, a number of which featured Sophia, the young daughter of music publisher Domenico Corri. In a concert on June 15 that year, the pair played a piano duet together; they were married in September 1792. Sophia Corri was a singer, pianist, and harpist who became famous in own right. They had a daughter, Olivia, but the marriage was not happy, involving a series of affairs by both parties.

Some of the concerts in 1791 and 1792 featured both Dussek and Joseph Haydn;

Also, in 1792 Dussek embarked on a music publishing venture with Sophia's father Domenico. It is this collaboration which holds most interest for students of the dances of this period as a considerable amount of the firm's output was dance music and guidance on dance figures under such titles as "For the year 1797 twenty-four new country dances with their proper figures for the harp, piano forte and violin as performed at the Prince of Wales’s and other grand balls and assemblies humbly dedicated to the nobility and gentry subscribers to Willis’s rooms, Festino etc"

From adverts in the Bath papers, we learn that Dussek and his wife came to Bath to perform in 1793 and were resident for a time at number 52 New King Street.

The Corri Dussek company while successful at first fared poorly in later years, and the circumstances of its failure spurred Dussek to leave London in 1799 to go to Germany and leaving Corri in debtors' prison.

The Nude Dance of 1803

Figures as suggested in Astor’s Twenty four Country Dances for the Year 1803 with proper Tunes and Directions to each Dance, etc. by George Astor

1st Cu: set to the 2d Lady & not turn the same with 2d Gent lead down the middle up again & cast off

The rather surprising title is probably a joking reference to contemporary fashions. Modern developments in spinning techniques had made fine woven cotton and muslin fabrics widely and cheaply available. With these fine fabrics, ball gowns could be virtually transparent and many fashionable ladies abandoned modesty for fashion. At the end of 1799, The Time ridiculed such fashion trends.

'If the present fashion for nudity continues its career, the Milliners must give way to the carvers, and the most elegant fig-leaves will be all the mode.'

George Astor was a woodwind instrument maker born in Germany who immigrated to London around 1778 and set up in business as an instrument maker, piano dealer, and music seller. He Traded as George Astor & Co initially at Holywell Street in 1779 as a woodwind instrument maker moving to 26 Wych Street and from 1796 at 79 Cornhill.  Astor referred to himself in the 1790’s as “manufacturer of grand and small piano fortes” but he was not a maker but sold instruments made by John Geib and others under his own name. He also sold musical instruments to the military.  In 1801 the partners with George Astor were George Horwood and Benjamin Banks. George died in 1813,  

An Astor and Horwood Clarinet 

Oliver Goldsmith - The Vicar of Wakefield from the 1760s

"Moses was therefore dispatched to borrow a couple of chairs; and as we were in want of ladies to make up a set at country dances, the two gentlemen went with him in quest of a couple of partners. Chairs and partners were soon provided. The gentlemen returned with my neighbour Flamborough's rosy daughters, flaunting with red top-knots, but an unlucky circumstance was not adverted to; though the Miss Flamboroughs were reckoned the very best dancers in the parish, and understood the jig and the round-about to perfection; yet they were totally unacquainted with country dances.' This at first discomposed us: however, after a little shoving and dragging, they at last went merrily on. Our music consisted of two fiddles, with a pipe and tabor. The moon shone bright, Mr Thornhill and my eldest daughter led up the ball, to the great delight of the spectators; for the neighbours hearing what was going forward, came flocking about us. My girl moved with so much grace and vivacity, that my wife could not avoid discovering the pride of her heart, by assuring me, that though the little chit did it so cleverly, all the steps were stolen from herself. The ladies of the town strove hard to be equally easy, but without success. They swam, sprawled, languished, and frisked; but all would not do: the gazers indeed owned that it was fine; but neighbour Flamborough observed, that Miss Livy's feet seemed as pat to the music as its echo. After the dance had continued about an hour, the two ladies, who were apprehensive of catching cold, moved to break up the ball. One of them, I thought, expressed her sentiments upon this occasion in a very coarse manner, when she observed, that by the living jingo, she was all of a muck of sweat. "

1766 edition

Social Dance in Bath in the time of Jane Austen - Part 2

We have little information about the specific dance music played at these balls. It is worth pointing out here that Georgians did not generally think of dances but of dance tunes to which the first couple fitted figures of their own choosing and which were then copied by the other couples in the set.  The London dancing master Payne explains in his New Companion to the Ballroom of 1814:

“The couple that are going to call the dance must always inform the Master of Ceremonies both of the tune and the figure that he may direct the sets when more than one and give directions to the band which should always play the tune once over before the commencement of the figure.

Any couple calling a figure of uncommon length, or very difficult, the Master of Ceremonies can object to it, and the couple must call a figure more suitable.

Should any couple after calling a dance, find themselves incapable of performing the figure, providing they have not passed more than three or four couple, they are entitled to another call; but should the same difficult occur a second time, the Master of Ceremonies can place the couple at the bottom of that set and transfer the call to the next couple.”

Thomas Wilson gives us more insight into the mechanics in his 1808 book An Analysis of Country Dancing:

“When Country Dancing has commenced, and the top couple have gone down three couple, the next couple must go off. When every couple have gone down the dance, and the couple who called it have regained the top and gone down three couple, the dance is finished; for the next dance they stand at the bottom.

Number 2 calls the second dance, and so regularly on through the company.”

x

Dance figures are the patterns that the groups of four, six or in cotillions, 8 dancers form when dancing. They range from, for example, the very simple, such as couples cross, to the more complex, like hay on the contrary sides or one of the many allemande turns. The figures have to be fitted to the music and together make up a particular dance.

In addition to the figures, each dance type, cotillion, minuet, country dance and country dance variant, such as the Strathspeys, had its own vocabulary of steps, although there is a basic vocabulary which is common to them all. Contrary to the impression you may have gotten from watching films, nobody walked through dances, and well-executed steps were a key to social credibility throughout the Georgian period.

Almost all published dance music of this period is billed along the lines of - As Danced at Bath, the Court and other Fashionable Assemblies - but we may be nearer to hearing the music actually played here from the output of local publishers such as J&W Lintern’s Music Warehouse in the Abbey Church Yard who were active throughout Jane’s time in Bath. The Linterns also provided a connection to the London music scene as the sole agents of the well-established music publishers and instrument makers Cahusac & Sons.

Much of the published dance music also contains suggestions about figures that might be fitted to the music. We can use this information, as well as information about terminology, steps, and deportment from dance manuals published by dancing masters like Thomas Wilson, to reconstruct dances as they might have been danced in Bath at this period.

The dance manuals also enable us to reconstruct other vital elements of the dances, such as the correct etiquette, deportment, arm position and the correct forms of interactions, such as the giving of hands.

The musical band of the Upper rooms at this time consisted of twelve performers, including a harp, tabor, and pipe. The latter instruments reflected the increasing popularity of Scottish Reels, Strathspeys, and Irish Jigs. 

Another important influence on the music and dances of the times was the local dancing masters such as the Flemings, who organised famous balls, occasionally patronised by Royalty, to show off their pupils’ skills.

They imported new music, dance forms and ideas into the Bath ballrooms. Many of the Bath dancing masters had strong links to the professional theatre. Indeed, Robert Elliston, who at least one of Austen’s biographers claims was Jane’s favourite actor, married into a branch of the Fleming family business.  This led to the importation in balls of ideas and steps from the enormously popular stage dances of the day.

Teachers like the Flemings often had strong links with the continent, and this route introduced many new dance forms and fashions.

The period Jane was in Bath was a low point in dance fashion with the cotillion and minuet becoming less popular and the arrival of the quadrille and continental waltz awaiting the allied victory in Europe.

In the 1790s, the rules of the rooms always included such clauses as “And as it is extremely desirable that all improper company may be kept from these rooms”

Later editions of the Rules place much more emphasis on excluding undesirables for instance “That no person shall be allowed to insert their names as subscribers, or be admitted as visitors to these balls, who carry on any occupation in the retail line of business, the master of the ceremonies’ ball-nights excepted”. Clearly, the rising middle class could no longer be excluded by price alone.

To ensure that the Master of the Ceremonies could exclude “undesirables” and also arbitrate disputes about rank and precedence he needed to know who was subscribing or planning to subscribe. As the Ton became a less well-defined entity and the numbers and variety of people being attracted to the city began to increase this became increasingly difficult. So we see the following in the rules of the Upper Rooms from the Bath Guide of 1802.

“ As the late great extension of the city puts it out of the power of the master of ceremonies to be regularly informed of the several persons who arrive here, he hopes they will be so indulgent to him as not to charge him with want of attention, if he should happen to omit visiting them; and that he publically requests that they will, on their arrival, cause their names, with their places of abode, to be inserted in a book kept at the pump rooms for that purpose, which will afford him such information as will enable him to comply with his own wishes, and the expectations of the public.

 And as it is extremely desirable that all improper company may be kept from these rooms, he requests also, that strangers, as well as ladies and gentlemen, will give him an opportunity of being introduced to them, before they hold themselves entitled to that attention and respect, which he is ambitious and ever will be studious to show to every individual resorting to this place.”

To bring us into the present a few words about dance in film adaptations of Austen novels. In the films with a few noble exceptions the dance music used is more 100 years out of date most of it being taken from the publication of the seventeen century family of dancing masters the Playfords. The classic example being Mr Beverages Maggot a dance taken from a Playford publication of 1695 and famously used in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. This is not a dance likely to have found favour with fashion-conscious young people of the 1790s or the Regency.

I would like to end with a quote from the dancing master Thomas Wilson which I think makes an interesting connection.

“Young females in particular, if deprived of Dancing, are totally at a loss to find any healthful amusement. Boys certainly have their games of cricket, trap-ball, &c.; but what can we find so proper for girls? Novel reading, I am sorry to say, is too often an apology for exercise.”

Vicar of Wakefield 1760s

"Mr Burchell had scarce taken leave, and Sophia consented to dance with the chaplain, when my little ones came running out to tell us that the 'Squire was come, with a crowd of company. Upon our return, we found our landlord, with a couple of under gentlemen and two young ladies richly drest, whom he introduced as women of very great distinction and fashion from town. We happened not to have chairs enough for the whole company; but Mr Thornhill immediately proposed that every gentleman should sit in a lady's lap. This I positively objected to, notwithstanding a look of disapprobation from my wife. Moses was therefore dispatched to borrow a couple of chairs; and as we were in want of ladies to make up a set at country dances, the two gentlemen went with him in quest of a couple of partners. Chairs and partners were soon provided. 

A family of about 1766

The gentlemen returned with my neighbour Flamborough's rosy daughters, flaunting with red top-knots, but an unlucky circumstance was not adverted to; though the Miss Flamboroughs were reckoned the very best dancers in the parish, and understood the jig and the round-about to perfection; yet they were totally unacquainted with country dances.' This at first discomposed us: however, after a little shoving and dragging, they at last went merrily on. Our music consisted of two fiddles, with a pipe and tabor. The moon shone bright, Mr Thornhill and my eldest daughter led up the ball, to the great delight of the spectators; for the neighbours hearing what was going forward, came flocking about us. My girl moved with so much grace and vivacity, that my wife could not avoid discovering the pride of her heart, by assuring me, that though the little chit did it so cleverly, all the steps were stolen from herself. The ladies of the town strove hard to be equally easy, but without success. They swam, sprawled, languished, and frisked; but all would not do: the gazers indeed owned that it was fine; but neighbour Flamborough observed, that Miss Livy's feet seemed as pat to the music as its echo. After the dance had continued about an hour, the two ladies, who were apprehensive of catching cold, moved to break up the ball. One of them, I thought, expressed her sentiments upon this occasion in a very coarse manner, when she observed, that by the living jingo, she was all of a muck of sweat. Upon our return to the house, we found a very elegant cold supper, which Mr Thornhill had ordered to be brought with him."

'The Vicar of Wakefield — A Tale, Supposed to be written by Himself' is a novel by Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774). It was written from 1761 to 1762 and published in 1766.

New Rigg'd Ship

Figures as suggested in Dale's selection of the most favorite Country Dances Reels, ... with their Proper Figures, for the Harp, Harpsichord & Violin, etc. published in 1800.

Turn your partner with the right hand then with the Left Lead down the middle up again Set 3 and 3 top and bottom sideways hands six round,

Joseph Dale ran a very small business from a private house in Chancery Lane until 1780, when he bought the entire stock in trade and circulating library of a well-established publisher called S Badd. If we are to believe an advertisement by Dale, Babb's Musical Library numbered over 100,000 books. Dale moved his business to Babb's old premises at 132 Oxford Street, facing Hanover Square, where it became one of the most important businesses of its time.