Monday, February 13, 2017

From 204 Country Dances (~1775), part 2

Of the 204 numbers in Straight & Skillern's collection, fifteen or so are of interest here. Yesterday I discussed those with simple ascending lines in a strain; today I will look at those with more complex lines.

"Miss Butt's Favorite" is a jig in a small ternary form where the reprise is exact and complete. (There are more than the usual number of such designs in this collection, suggesting more instrumental character than music for dance, where multiple, independent strains fit better with the needs of the dance, especially the English long dance.) An approach to the tonic from below (^6-^7-^8) is obvious, with all notes accented, but the balance earlier is clearly tipped toward ^5, so that the principal linear figure in the cadence comes from above to imply ^3 over ^1 in the end.



"Blind Beggar" is also in a small ternary form, but this time its first strain closes on the dominant and the reprise is truncated -- both of which traits make this a bit more amenable to the practical needs of the dance. A full triad frame (circled) puts the emphasis on ^3/^5 in the first strain but resolves to ^3 with a cover tone ^5 in the reprise, where the rising line is internal (boxed).


"Frisky" is at the opposite extreme of design from the previous two numbers: four independent strains that, however, are related to one another by their cadence figures (strains 1 & 3, 2 & 4). If we take the third strain as a kind of variation of the first, and the fourth as a variation of the second, then the ascent from ^5 up to ^8 in the cadence (boxed) is definitely an internal line, as the balance at the beginning (and throughout strain 3) is on ^3.