The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dance (by An Antiquary), by Anonymous

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Title: The Dance (by An Antiquary)
Historic Illustrations of Dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D.

Author: Anonymous

Release Date: December 12, 2005 [EBook #17289]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE DANCE

_Historic Illustrations of Dancing
from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D._

BY
AN ANTIQUARY

LONDON
JOHN BALE, SONS & DANIELSSON, LTD.
83-91, GREAT TITCHFIELD STREET, OXFORD STREET, W

Respectfully dedicated
to Dr. Eleanor Maxwell.

1911

PREFACE.

* * * * *

This sketch of the iconography of the dance does not pretend to be a
history of the subject, except in the most elementary way. It may be
taken as a summary of the history of posture; a complete dance cannot
be easily rendered in illustration.

The text is of the most elementary description; to go into the subject
thoroughly would involve years and volumes. The descriptions of the
various historic dances or music are enormous subjects; two authors
alone have given 800 dances in four volumes.[Footnote: Thompson's
complete collection of 200 country dances performed at Court, Bath,
Tunbridge, and all public assemblies, with proper figures and
directions to each set for the violin, German flute, and hautboy, 8s.
6d. Printed for Charles and Samuel Thompson, St. Paul's Churchyard,
London, where may be had the yearly dances and minuets. Four volumes,
each 200 dances. 1770-1773.]

It would have been interesting if some idea of the orchesography of
the Egyptians and Greeks could have been given; this art of describing
dances much in the manner that music is written is lost, and the
attempts to revive it have been ineffective. The increasing speed of
the action since the days of Lulli would now render it almost
impossible.

It is hoped that this work may be of some us