The Melody Web what each genre heard, and what it passed on

heard passed on Click or tap a node to recenter. Use a connecting line, or Influence, for the story.

Heard

Renaissance court dance practice · 1450–1600

Contredanse keeps the assembly-ball job of the late Renaissance hall — published figures, binary strains, a dancing-master book — and recodes it as English country dance and Frenc…

Influence

Contredanse

form · 1651–1850

Also called contradanza, country dance, contradanse

English country dance recoded as French contredanse and then as Atlantic contradanza: longways or square figures over a binary dance strain (Playford, later French assembly books). It hears Renaissance court dance for the assembly-ball job of published figures, not for pavane/gaillarde steps. The hop into Habanera is that contradanza frame in Havana; the hop into Quadrille is the Paris square-set recoding. Playford leftover as this node’s English origin print, not a second parent. Cotillion leftover as a sibling set name on Quadrille.

Listen

  1. The Old Mole Playford collection (1651)
  2. Greensleeves English country-dance use (17th century) YouTube
  3. La Furstemberg French contredanse tradition (18th century) YouTube
  4. San Pascual Bailón Cuban contradanza tradition (1803) YouTube
  5. Contredanse (set dances) French court and assembly tradition (18th century)

Passed on

Habanera form · 1803–1910

Habanera keeps the contradanse binary dance strain and social-figure job and writes an African-derived tresillo into the bass.

Influence
New Orleans jazz style · 1890–1930

Creole New Orleans bands take contredanse/quadrille strain sets as ballroom work: multi-strain dance tunes, violin-or-clarinet lead, and a night of sets for mixed-status floors.

Influence
Quadrille form · 1760–1900

Quadrille takes contredanse’s published-figure assembly job and recodes the longways set as a square of four couples with named figures.

Influence

Renaissance court dance → Contredanse

function and contextform and structureperformance practicestrength: mediumscholarly consensus1651–1750dancenotationpatronage

Mechanism

Contredanse keeps the assembly-ball job of the late Renaissance hall — published figures, binary strains, a dancing-master book — and recodes it as English country dance and French contredanse. Strength medium. Playford is this node’s English origin, not a second parent. Do not hang the pavane/gaillarde suite as if it were the longways set.

Evidence

Playford 1651 against Arbeau/Caroso manuals; French court uptake of English country dance as contredanse; Grove on that transfer.

Debate

Whether country dance is a sibling of court dance rather than a child. Consensus: the noble step-dances (pavane, gaillarde) stay on the donor; the receiver inherits the assembly floor and the published-figure job, not those steps.

Mediators

institution: French court and assembly

Contredanse → Habanera

form and structuremeter and groovefunction and contextstrength: highscholarly consensus1790–1850notationdancemigration

Mechanism

Habanera keeps the contradanse binary dance strain and social-figure job and writes an African-derived tresillo into the bass. Strength high. The drum-cell hop sits on west african drumming habanera.

Evidence

San Pascual Bailón (1803) against the French/English contradanza book; Sublette and Grove on that Cuban recoding.

Debate

Whether the Havana piece is already a new form. The figure-dance parent is contradanse; the named export habanera is the child.

Mediators

community: Havana dance rooms

Contredanse → New Orleans jazz

form and structurefunction and contextperformance practicestrength: mediumscholarly consensus1880–1910danceoralnotation

Mechanism

Creole New Orleans bands take contredanse/quadrille strain sets as ballroom work: multi-strain dance tunes, violin-or-clarinet lead, and a night of sets for mixed-status floors. Strength medium. American march and Ragtime remain the brass-band and syncopation parents; this hop is the Creole ballroom book, not the street parade.

Evidence

Brothers on Creole dance-musician training; surviving quadrille titles in early repertory; Grove on social dance as a New Orleans jazz job.

Debate

Whether the march already covers strain form. March is the brass-band page; contredanse is the Creole ballroom set. Keep both.

Mediators

community: Creole of color dance musicians

Contredanse → Quadrille

form and structurefunction and contextmeter and groovestrength: highscholarly consensus1760–1820dancenotationpatronage

Mechanism

Quadrille takes contredanse’s published-figure assembly job and recodes the longways set as a square of four couples with named figures. Strength high. Cotillion leftover as a sibling set name. contredanse habanera is the Atlantic contradanza hop, not this Paris square.

Evidence

Paris assembly books; Lancers as a later named set; Grove on quadrille as a contredanse recoding.

Debate

Whether quadrille simply is contredanse. Contredanse is the longways/country-dance job; quadrille is the named square-set child.

Mediators

community: Paris assembly dancing-masters