Friday, June 9, 2017

Menuet series 2-2a: Pointel's Recuiel des Dances (Amsterdam, 1688)

Antoine Pointel fled France for the Calvinist Netherlands in 1685. In Amsterdam he quickly established himself as a successful printer. The Deusiesme recuiel des dances et contre-dances was published in 1688. A translation of its complete title is "Second Anthology of Dances and Contradances appropriate for performance by all manner of instruments. By various authors." Pointel gives his first name as "Antony" on the title page.

Its sixty six numbers (table of contents at the end of this post) place a treble melody on the left-hand page with a bass on the right-hand page. The bass has scant figures and is marked "continuo."

Here is an example -- I have positioned the two parts vertically for readibility.



For reasons unknown, the table of contents as given on its IMSLP page (link) is almost entirely wrong. I have assembled a contents list from the file itself; that is given below. In tomorrow's post, I will begin discussion of the fifteen named menuets scattered throughout the volume.
1. Courante
2. Courante

3. Bouree d'Orange

4. Bouree

5.-12. 8 Menuets

13. Menuet de Galatee
14. Menuet
15. Galliarde “La Patetique”
16. Passepied
17. Passepied de France
18. Passepied nouveaux
19. Plaisir venez sans crainte
20. Qu'a l'envy chacun se presse

21. Rigodon
22. Bouree, Deuxieme Air du Rigodon
23. Carillon La Vigne

24. Dite moy Ianeton

25. Le Trembleurs
26. L’Escossoise
27. L’Argentine
28. La Marche Angloise
29. La Marche des Dragons
30. Les Macabees
31. L’Isabel
32. La Vigne
33. L’Opera
34. La Valentine
35. Les Caprices d’Amour

36. La Vienne
37. Le Jardin de Cupidon
38. La Gigue du Roy
39. Preno Do
40. La Manche Verte
41. Menuet

42. Sawnay
43. La Sophie
44. La Richemont
45. La Cloris
46. La Gaillard Simon
47. La Belle Helleine
48. Rigodon Nouveaux
49. La belle Marie
50. Gigue
51. Gigue nouvelle
52. Chaconne
53. Bouree
54. Passepied
55. Les Dames de Londre

56. Ayr Escossoys
57. Menuet
58. Courante
59. Tricotes
60. Menuet
61. Passepied
62. Entree
63. Menuet
64. Entree nouvelle
65. Menuet
66. Suiet Italien