The Dancing Master (first edition: The English Dancing Master) is a dancing manual containing the music and instructions for English country dances. It was first published in 1651 by the London-based publisher and composer John Playford. The book had at least 18 editions between 1651 and 1728. Several supplements and continuations were also published during this period.
History
It was published in several editions by John Playford and his successors from 1651 until . The first edition contained 105 dances with single-line melodies. The 1651 book The Dancing Master by John Playford had been designed for teaching dancing. It was originally small so that the dancing master could hide it under his cloak and consult it surreptitiously. Subsequent editions introduced new songs and dances, while dropping others, and the work eventually encompassed three volumes.
Dances from The Dancing Master were re-published in arrangements by Cecil Sharp in the early 20th century. In 1957 Margaret Dean Smith completed her facsimile book Playford's English Dancing Master. This work had been the first publication of English dance tunes and her publication established her as the expert on this work.
Dances from the book, in reconstructed forms, remain popular among dancers today. Early versions of the book are rare and command high prices.
Known editions and supplements
1651 – 1st edition (the only edition to be called The English Dancing Master, published by John Playford) 1652 – 2nd edition 1657 – 3rd edition 1665 – 3rd edition 1670 – 4th edition 1675 – 5th edition 1679 – 6th edition 1679 – A Supplement to The Dancing-Master 1686 – 7th edition 1687? – Tunes of other Country-Dances 1688? – A new Additional Sheet to the Dancing-Master 1689? – A new Addition to the Dancing-Master 1690 – 8th edition (the first marked as published by Henry Playford) 1695 – 9th edition 1696 – The second Part of the Dancing Master 1698 – The Second Part of the Dancing Master, 2nd edition 1698? – [Untitled supplement] 1698? – An Additional Sheet to the Second Part of the Dancing-Master 1698 – 10th edition 1701 – 11th edition 1702 – Twenty Four New Country Dances. Printed by William Pearson for Henry Playford 1703 – 12th edition 1706 – 13th edition (the first edition published by John Young) 1709 – 14th edition 1710? – Vol. the second, 1st edition 1713 – 15th edition 1714? – Vol. the second, 2nd edition 1716 – 16th edition 1718 – Vol. the second, 3rd edition 1721 – Vol. the first, 17th edition c1726 – The Third Volume, 2nd edition c1728 – Vol. the first, 18th edition 1728 – Vol. the second, 4th edition
See also Jig (theatre)
References
External links
, scans of the first to tenth editions (1651-1698), and the 14th edition (1704) Playford's Dancing Master: The Compleat Dance Guide "An exhaustive collection, catalogue, and index of all dances published in editions of the Dancing Master, 1651-1728", Scott Pfitzinger, CC-BY-NC-SA. Contains modernized scores and dance directions. The Dancing Master, 1651–1728: An Illustrated Compendium, by Robert M Keller, a comprehensive scholarly database allowing comparisons across all versions of Playford's work First edition Second edition Tenth edition, facsimile at Library of Congress What are Playford dances? by Hugh Stewart, The Round, Cambridge University English Country Dance Club