CONTREDANSES by DanzAntica - Stephan Mester

Vol. 9 "Livre de Contredance" by Lorin, c.1688

This Album contains the music of the 13 Contredanses "présentées au Roy" by André Lorin, in the order of (the planned but never realised) publication.

According to Lorin, these are the most beautiful and best dances of this kind that he could find on his journey to London (c.1685): 11 Country Dances and 2 new choreographies of his own. Of these two, the Contredanse nouvelle pour Madame la Dauphine (Gigue-Menuet-Gigue) would even be one of the most beautiful contredanses figurées for 4 couples ever (which we enjoyed with Danza Antica very much)... this is what Lorin writes in his preface to the planned edition of circa 1721. The execution of Lorin's French contredanse steps and figures makes high demands on average Country Dancers.


The project CONTREDANSES by DanzAntica aims to give an overview of the French Contredanses from the time of Louis XIV and Louis XV.

Three questions are the focus of interest:

Which Contredanse choreographies are known from contemporary non-English, mainly French, sources?

Are there any contemporary music sources that pass on original bass lines or second voices and that allow conclusions about the harmonization and the sound of the dances?

Which English Country Dances have been adopted into the French repertoire whose choreographies are not contained in French sources, but whose verifiably English melodies appear in French music collections with French titles?

But the main intention of CONTREDANSES by DanzAntica is of a practical nature. It aims to give an acoustic face to the French "Recueils de Contredanses", on one single web page. This gives lovers of French contredanses the opportunity to select their dances based solely on choreographic aspects, without having to worry about the search for a danceable recording.

Volumes:

Vol. 1 Les Contredanses à deux
11 French Contredanses for 1 Couple

Vol. 2 Les Contredanses en Menuet
14 French Minuet-Contredanses

Vol. 3a "Recueil de Contredances" 1-11 by Feuillet 1706
Vol. 3b "Recueil de Contredances" 12-21 by Feuillet 1706
Vol. 3c "Recueil de Contredances" 22-32 by Feuillet 1706

Vol. 4 "Contredanses nouvelles" by Feuillet 1708

Vol. 5a "II. Recueil de Nouvelles Contredanses" 1-9 by Dezais 1712
Vol. 5b "II. Recueil de Nouvelles Contredanses" 10-18 by Dezais 1712
Vol. 5c "II. Recueil de Nouvelles Contredanses" 19-27 by Dezais 1712

Vol. 6a "Recueil de Contre Dances" by Jayme 1717, 11 Contredanses
Vol. 6b (in preparation)
Vol 6c (in preparation)

Vol. 7 "Premier Recueil de Contre-Dances à quatre, à six & à huit" by Dezais 1726

Vol. 8a,b,c,d
46 Dances from "Chorégraphie" by La Vigne(?) MS DURLACH, 1720ies

Vol. 9 "Livre de Contredance" by Lorin, late 1680ies (in preparation)

Vol. 10 Playford Dances à la française & other curiosities (in preparation)