Payne's 1st Set

Some of the dances

The Princess Alice
49 QUADRILLES
Victoria Quadrille
Paine's 1st. Set
57 COUNTRY DANCES
Duval's Lancers
The Pavilion Waltz
Hart's Lancers
The Lord Wellington
The Caledonians
The Nameless
The Royal Scots
The Dutch Skipper
The Quadrille des Dames
The Prince's Favorite
The New Caledonians
The Duke of Kent's Waltz
Coulon's Quadrille
The Royal Albert
The Double Quadrille
Jacky Tarr
Les Varietes Parisiennes
Speed the Plough
The Triplet
Tarrs of The Victory
The Prince Imperial
Queen Victoria's C. D.
Beseda
Corn Rigs
The Waltz Cotillion
15 COTILLIONS
The Pas de Quatre
La Grecque
Paine's 12th. Set
Gallini's Allemande
Les Lanciers Valses
Marlbrouk
Hart's 8th Set
La Nouvelle Carel
The Albions
La Graziosetta
The Curassiers
La Belle Eurydice  part 1: Pantalon (written in 2/4 or
6/8)
La Strasbourgeoise
theme A – theme B – theme A – theme C –
theme A
La Mignonette
 part 2: Été (always written in 2/4)
La Trop-Courte
theme A – theme B – theme B – theme A
La Belle Veuve
 part 3: Poule (always written in
6/8)
20 COUPLE DANCES
theme A – theme B – theme A – theme C –
The Allemande a deux theme A – theme B – theme A

The Waltz Part 3 always begins with a two-measure-

introduction
The Schottische
 part 4: Trénis (always written in
2/4)
The Polka
theme A – theme B – theme B – theme A
The Mazurka
 part 5: Pastourelle (always
The Polka-Mazurka written in 2/4)

3 TRIPLETS theme A – theme B – theme C – theme B –

theme A
Triolet Suisse  part 6: Finale (always written in
2/4)
Llanofer Reel
theme A – theme A – theme B – theme B –
Dashing White Sergeant theme A – theme A

Part 6 always begins with a two-measure-

introduction
The quadrille - music All the themes are 8 measures long.
analysis
Thus the quadrille was a very intricate
dance. The standard form contained five What Did Jane Austen Dance?
different parts, and the Viennese
lengthened it to six different parts. The Since early 19th century ("Regency")
following table shows what the different dance is one of my particular specialties, I
parts look like, musically speaking: get many questions that boil down to either
"what did Jane Austen dance?" or "did
Jane Austen dance _____?" So let's see This could lead to very long dances indeed
what I can do for a general answer. (half an hour to an hour) if there were
many couples in a set (I discussed this
I can divide things loosely into three previously here) and to plenty of time to
categories: what we know she danced, chat quietly with ones partner at the top or
what she might have danced, and what she bottom of the set, as Austen uses to good
didn't dance. effect with Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride
and Prejudice. And since dances were
We can be quite certain that Jane Austen generally done in pairs (as discussed here),
danced three different sorts of dances: one could spend quite some time with a
single partner at a ball. In that same letter
1. Country dances. Long lines of couples Austen mentions that she danced only nine
performing figures and progressing up and dances (out of twelve) at that ball; that
down the set. These were by far the most would have been two with each of the St.
popular and most common dance of Johns, Hooper, and Holder, and that final
Austen's lifetime and would have been the one with Mr. Mathew.
overwhelming majority of the dances at
any ball or evening of dancing at home. Country dances of this era were invariably
They wouldn't have looked quite like they triple minor (though that's a modern term),
do in today's modern English Country meaning subgroups of three couples within
Dance community, however. Lively a longer set were needed to perform the
skipping steps would have been used figures, and proper, meaning that each
(similar to modern Royal Scottish Country repetition of the dance began and ended
Dance Society dancing), rather than a with all the men on one side and the
flowing walk; when a dancer was too tired women on the other. Nor did the specific
to do steps, she would have been combinations of figures ("dances") have
considered no longer dancing at all, as with names; this is why, in all of her letters and
Fanny in Chapter 28 of Mansfield Park: novels, Austen never gives the name of
any country dance. A fairly limited
Sir Thomas, having seen her walk rather repertoire of figures was used, making
than dance down the shortening set, dances very similar, and they could be
breathless, and with her hand at her side, danced to any tune of suitable length,
gave his orders for her sitting down rather than the tight pairings of
entirely. choreography and tune that are considered
standard nowadays. The couple calling the
Rather than everyone starting at once, dance would both choose the tune and
dances would have called and led off by a decide what figures to dance to it.
single couple at the top; as that couple
progressed down the set other couples All of this standardization would begin to
would begin to dance, then lead off in turn break down very soon after Austen's death,
as they reached the top, until all the but during her lifetime country dances had
dancers were moving. Jane Austen surprisingly little variation.
occasionally got to lead a dance, as she
mentioned in a letter of November 20, 2. Cotillions. Austen mentions having
1800, to her sister Cassandra: danced these in her youth in one of her
letters to her niece Fanny (quoted below).
My partners were the two St. Johns, A cotillion was a dance for a square of four
Hooper, Holder, and very prodigious Mr. couples and would have consisted of a
Mathew, with whom I called the last, and specific set of figures which were repeated
whom I liked the best of my little stock. as a sort of chorus between a series of
"changes," which were simple figures Austen also used it in Pride and Prejudice,
(circle, grand right and left, etc.) The in Mrs. Bennet's description of Mr.
changes -- usually ten in number, though Bingley's activities at the ball:
I've seen sources with more or fewer --
were fairly standardized, so once one had So, he enquired who she was, and got
learned them, it was easy to simply pick up introduced, and asked her for the two next.
a new cotillion and use its special figures Then, the two third he danced with Miss
as the chorus to the known "verses" of the King, and the two fourth with Maria Lucas,
changes. As with country dances, steps and the two fifth with Jane again, and the
were used, rather than walking; an easy two sixth with Lizzy, and the Boulanger --
cotillion figure of the 1770s is:

The Ladies Contretems Forward and turn

to face their Partners, then all Eight
Allemande. All half a Course, with the Moving on to the "might have danced"
Rigaudon at every Place. The Gentlemen category:
Contretems Forward and turn to face their
Ladies, then all Eight Allemande. All half 1. The Scotch reel. Austen actually
a Course with the Rigaudon at every mentions the reel in Pride and Prejudice,
Place. (Giovanni Gallini, New Collection in Mr. Darcy's exchange with Elizabeth
of Forty-Four Cotillions, London, c1770). Bennet:
The Contretems and Rigaudon are specific "Do not you feel a great inclination, Miss
dance steps. The above is a very simple Bennet, to seize such an opportunity of
cotillion; they could be much longer and dancing a reel?"
more complex.
She smiled, but made no answer. He
3. The Boulanger, also known as the repeated the question, with some surprise
Boulangere, Boulangeries, etc. This was a at her silence.
"finishing dance" for the end of an
evening, and is actually not all that
exciting to do. Couples would stand in a
circle, and one dancer at a time would go What did Regency-era dancers dance?
around the circle turning each dancer of the
opposite sex in alternation with her own I combine the two as a category because
partner. This would alternate with a figure people who are interested in the one are
where all the couples circle first one way, often interested in the other, but what was
then the other. About all I can say for this danced by Jane Austen (1775-1817) and
as a dance is that it's certainly an easy one what was danced during the English
to do very late at night when exhausted and Regency era (1811-1820) are actually
with minimal energy or concentration left. questions with slightly different answers.
But we know for certain that she danced it, Austen's dancing days were more of the
as it is mentioned in her letter of late 18th century, and the Regency era was
September 5, 1796, to her sister Cassandra: a time of rapid change in social dance,
mostly emanating from Paris and London.
We dined at Goodnestone, and in the Austen would have missed out on much of
evening danced two country-dances and this by being country gentry and by her
the Boulangeries. death just as things were starting to get
really interesting dancewise.
Having addressed dance in Jane Austen's just the standard "ballroom position"
lifetime in my previous post, which I popular today, as may be seen in the
recommend reading first for background, illustration from Wilson's manual shown at
let me now talk a little bit about the 1810s. left.
What did they dance during the Regency
era? Around 1810, people probably The waltz, of course, was considered a
weren't doing much that was different from scandalous dance because of the position
the previous two or three decades: country of the dancers and the amount of body
dances and reels, with a cotillion perhaps contact. Even Lord Byron, not exactly a
still making an appearance now and then, model of propriety himself, grew quite
and occasionally an oddity like the exercised about it:
Boulanger, Sir Roger de Coverley, or (in
Scotland) the Bumpkin. But change was Hot from the hands promiscuously applied,
coming. The upper classes and the
residents of London would soon find Round the slight waist, or down the
themselves with a much wider set of glowing side,
options. Where were the rapture then to clasp the
form
From this lewd grasp and lawless contact
warm?

(The entirety of Byron's lengthy 1813

poem may be found here.)

The waltz was the first of the couple

dances that would, over the course of the
nineteenth century, come to completely
dominate ballroom dance.

The second momentous change was the

The first change, which introduction of the quadrille, a descendant
would ultimately transform social dance, of the cotillion which consisted of a set of
was the introduction of the waltz into the five figures for four couples in square
English ballroom. It's hard to put a precise formation. The figures themselves were
date on this, but certainly it made its most similar to (and sometimes borrowed from)
noticeable splash in the 1810s, spurred by old cotillion figures, but no changes were
diplomatic exchanges during the danced between them. The quadrille was
Napoleonic wars which brought foreign thus shorter and more varied, though
dignitaries and their dances to England. Austen was probably not the only older
By 1816, London dancing master Thomas dancer who turned up her nose at the new
Wilson had published a book on waltz that form.
included four different varieties: the slow
waltz, the sauteuse (leaping) waltz, the jeté
The first set of quadrilles was fairly
or quick sauteuse, and the German waltz.
standardized, though some variations did
The two sauteuses were done in 2/4 or 6/8
exist. The five figures of the first set were
time rather than the 3/4 we think of as
Pantalon, Été, Poule, Trenise, and Finale.
"waltz time;" at the time, and for many
Within a few years an alternate fourth
years afterwards, waltz referred to turning
figure, Pastourelle, would become
couple dances rather than exclusively to
popular; some quadrilles were extended to
dances in 3/4. There were also a number
six figures to include both Pastourelle and
of different holds the couple might use, not
Trenise. Numerous sets of music for these the first appearance I have found of La
five figures were published, though Valse en Cotillon, an early forerunner of
generally the same figures were danced the Waltz Cotillion, though Dun used it as
over and over again, as Thomas Wilson simply another quadrille figure rather than
gloomily noted in his satirical 1824 poem, a standalone dance. By 1820, G.M.S.
The Danciad: Chivers could include in his Dancers'
Guide a set called Les Valse Quadrilles,
Six sets, some say "they've have danced at consisting of two waltz figures and a
such a Ball," sauteuse figure.
But danced the figures of the first to all.
A set of mazurka quadrilles and the
I spent several hours in a library in popular Caledonians set of quadrilles were
Scotland a few years ago looking over also published right around 1820, though I
dozens of sets of quadrille music. At first can't give a definitive date for either. The
my notes carefully give the title of each set Caledonians would become the third most
and spell out the dance figures of that first popular set of quadrilles for much of the
set for each. Then I started abbreviating nineteenth century, but the choreographed
my descriptions: "Pantalon-Ete-Poule- mazurka quadrilles are a bit of an oddity.
Pastourelle-Finale." Then I started While other choreographed sets would
abbreviating more, until the last few sets appear later in the century, none appear to
are simply noted as "PEPPF." The music descend from the early set, and
changed, but the figures did not. unchoreographed figures led by one of the
couples were more typical of the dance in
But this is not to say that no variation at all general.
existed; one popular format was to dance
the usual first three figures and then vary Quadrilles of this era, like country dances
the fourth and fifth, and many sets were and cotillions, were done with elaborate
published with the original first three sequences of steps rather than simply
figures and variants on the finale figure in walked through. I've discussed these step
particular but sometimes both the fourth sequences in a number of previous posts;
and fifth. Music was often adapted from those interested should look through the
popular operas. Other sets of quadrilles quadrille category archive for examples of
were also published with completely steps for setting, crossing over, advancing
different figure sequences, though most and retiring, etc. Also of interest will be
seem not to have caught on, possibly due the 1820 song, "Quadrilling," annotated
to the difficulty of memorizing all the here, that satirizes the mania for dancing
sequences, which were mostly quadrilles.
rearrangements of a very limited set of
figures: advance and retire, cross over, Quadrilles competed successfully with
right and left, promenade, etc. country dances for popularity in the
ballroom: once the first set of figures was
Of note, however, were the first memorized they were quick and easy to
publications in 1817-1818 of two similar dance, and they lent themselves to social
versions of the Lancers, a completely new snobbery, since one could choose to dance
(and more difficult) set of quadrille figures with only a small group of friends rather
which would become enormously popular than a lengthy set of couples.
and remain so for nearly a century. Also in
1818, Barclay Dun published A The dancing masters fought back against
Translation of Nine of the Most this threat to their livelihood, however.
Fashionable Quadrilles, which contained Once the quadrille format of two couples
facing each other was established, they The Spanish Dances, like the Ecossoises,
were quick to make note of how this were attributed a foreign origin, though I
expanded the repertoire with figures like have never seen any evidence supporting
the ladies' chain and to see how these could it, and were danced in the same active-
be adapted for country dances. By 1818, couple-improper format, though three-
two variations on the standard triple minor couple figures and triple minor progression
proper country dance had been introduced: were maintained at first. What
the Ecossoise and the Spanish Dance. distinguished the Spanish dances was that
Thomas Wilson, in The Ecossoise
Instructor (1818), somewhat confusingly the only steps required, are those made use
explains that the Ecossoise was of in Waltzing, the tunes being composed
either in 3-8 or 6-8 time. (G.M.S. Chivers,
probably derived from France, and The Dancers' Guide, 1820)
imported from thence into Russia, and
seems formerly to have been the Contra This suggests that previous country dances
Dance of that Country; and tho' the term by in waltz time used steps other than waltz
which this species of Dancing is named is steps, presenting an interesting
French, with a Scotch definition yet the reconstruction problem that I have not yet
Dance and Music properly adapted to it are solved. As with ordinary country dances,
Russian. there were a great variety of these Spanish
Dances, with figures arranged and
Assuming Wilson was not just making the rearranged to fit particular tunes and the
whole thing up to make the format sound taste of the dancers. One of these would
romantic, one might speculate that the eventually survive and in a shortened and
Ecossoise was introduced during the Tsar's somewhat altered form become known
visit to England in 1814. The major later in the nineteenth century as "the"
variation from the standard English Spanish Dance.
country dance of the time was that the
Ecossoise was begun with the leading While the origins of the Ecossoises and
couple improper (man on the woman's side Spanish dances are unclear, Chivers takes
of the set and woman on the man's side). explicit credit (accurately or otherwise) for
This enabled the first two couples in the set introducing two other variations on the
to dance in the same couple-facing-couple standard country dance: the Mescolanzes
formation found in quadrilles. All figures (medley dances) and the Swedish Dances.
were duple in nature, needing only two
couples to perform, rather than triple as in The Mescolanzes are arranged for lines of
the earlier dances, and couples at the top four: two couples stand side by side,
switched places to become improper and turning as a couple at the top of the set to
lead off the dance after only two improper position. This enables the same
progressions rather than three. This couple-facing-couple figures as the
limited the number and complexity of the quadrille and the Ecossoise, and by 1820
figures, speeded up the progression of the Chivers included quadrille-specific figures
dance, and would eventually lead to the in his Mescolanze figures. This format
adoption of quadrille figures into country would survive into the mid-19th century
dancing. Most modern contra dances are, and beyond with popular dances like La
in fact, Ecossoises; this American dance Tempête and Portland Fancy and
tradition may in fact be some sort of occasionally a dance simply labeled
peculiar Russian-French hybrid filtered "Mescolanzes."
through England.
The Swedish Dances, which Chivers proper country dance was rapidly losing its
blithely admits were not Swedish in origin dominant place in the English ballroom.
but named by him after the style of other Quadrilles were enormously popular, and
new forms, were more interesting: instead dance manuals of the era contained, along
of the usual line of couples, the dancers with figures for standard-form country
lined up in trios. In a company of equal dances, figures for variant forms such as
numbers, the trios would alternate between the Spanish Dances, Ecossoises, and
two gentlemen with a lady in the center Mescolanzes. A new couple dance, the
and two ladies with a gentleman in the galopade, arrived in England during this
center. In a company where one gender period in the form of a sort of sequence
outnumbered the other, all the trios could dance for couples, involving alternating
be of the same configuration. The figures sections of galop and choreographed
for Swedish Dances make use of figures figures. By the 1830, galopade country
like heys and figure eight. As with the dances and quadrilles were being
Spanish Dances, a dance labeled simply introduced (there is some discussion of this
"Swedish Dance" is found in some mid- as well as an 1830s galopade choreography
century manuals, sole survivor of the here.) The mazurka continued to appear,
genre. and the polonaise, another continental
import involving a long column of couples
Other innovations found in Mr. Chivers' marching around the room and making
major manuals are multi-part country patterns, is mentioned in dance manuals as
dances that incorporated two different well.
meters of music, triple minor improper
dances, and the first appearance of couple- In the early 1840s the polka first became
facing-couple circles in the form of a popular, bringing greater respectability to
"Circassian Circle." Chivers also wrapped the waltz in its wake, and couple dances
his Mescolanzes into a circle and named began to displace set dances as the
this four-facing-four-in-a-circle format dominant ballroom dance style.
after himself: the Chivonian Circle.
Neither the name nor the format caught on, Further resources on Regency dance
but the simpler couple-facing-couple circle For a light-hearted set of quick tips on how
format became enormously popular and so to judge dance scenes in Austen or
strongly associated with the surviving Regency-era movies, please see my
Spanish Dance that dance manuals later in previous article, "Real Regency Dancers
the nineteenth century would simply Don't Turn Single."
instruct the dancers to form "as for the
Spanish Dance." Wilson also For dance music for many of the dances
experimented with dancing standard triple described above, I recommend the CD The
minor proper country dances in a circle in Regency Ballroom, by Spare Parts,
his "Circular System" of country dancing, available here. It includes two sauteuses, a
but this effort does not seem to have been full five-figure quadrille, and several
successful. My experiments with the form waltzes, including one named for the wife
suggest that to make standard figures work of the dancing master G.M.S. Chivers.
in a curved formation the circle needs to be
so large that the dance would take a
ridiculous amount of time even by period
standards.

After the Regency

By the 1820s, the standard triple minor
Also known as Michael Boston.” The
Turner’s Waltz, this Mozart
melody was passed down as
illustration on the
a traditional tune in sheet music shows a
England. It appears as lovely nautical scene
untitled waltz #105 in a
manuscript tune book by
by Fitz Hugh Lane,
Michael Turner (1796-1885) with the Nahant
of Sussex. Listen for Hotel in the distance.
Mozart’s harmonies in the
flute and violin duo.
John Hill Hewitt,
(Mozart, KV 536 no. 2[Trio], according to the New
1788) Grove Dictionary,
“has often been
Sea Serpent Polka by M. Strakosh, named the first
1850
successful native
Nahant Quadrilles by John H. Hewitt, American composer
1836
No. 1 – Rebecca (3:17)
of songs.” He's the
No. 2 – Estelle (1:40)
No. 3 – Laura (1:56) [audio sample]
son of James Hewitt,
No. 4 – Georgette (2:36) [audio composer of the
sample]
No. 5 – Sophia (2:03) Nahant Waltz.
“Dedicated to Miss The music-box sound
Rebecca Willson of of this waltz is typical
of the first quarter of
the nineteenth
century, when
waltzes first began to
achieve popularity.
Hewitt (1770-1822)
was a British
conductor and
composer who came
to the U.S. in 1792.
The original version
of this waltz was
published by his son
in Boston between
1825 and 1829. This
versionis is adapted
from one published
in a much later
collection.