strathspey@strathspey.org:24426

Richard Goss

Red House, was Right of Reply and Vat man

Jan. 19, 2001, 10:25 a.m. (Message 24426)

Red House (was: Right of Reply (and the VAT man))
Sorry, Anselm, et al. but just got back from Morocco & Spain
and am just catching up on my mail.

I have a question regarding David  South's  Kardinia  capers
"album  with  its  wonderful recording of Red House which is
<<6x32 bars>>."

The RSCDS (incorrectly)* published this dance 40  bar  reel,
while the EFDSS version is (correctly) a 48 bar reel. So who
has notes for a 32 bar Red House?
-------
Anticipating   questions   regarding  my  use  of  the  term
"incorrect", I append the following.

The RSCDS version of these 40 bars is ...
DANCE: Set cast rpt bk   | chase | rpt bk | reel | reel ||
MUSIC: A                 |  a    | B      | b    | C    ||
The EFDSS version follows Playford ...
DANCE: Set cast | rpt bk | chase | rpt bk | reel | reel ||
MUSIC: A        | a      | B     | b      | C    | c    ||

So the RSCDS dances an ABbCc  dance to AaBbC  music.
While the EFDSS does an AaBbCc dance to AaBbCc music.
In other words the music that does not change  for  the
first chase does change between the first and second chases.
Again  the  chase  music from the 3rd figure is retained for
the first reel in the 4th.  The 5th figure,  or second  reel
begins a new strain of the melody.
Many of the more traditional dances not being danced at
the  time  but  taken  from books were made to fit the RSCDS
concepts by disingenous editing.  Since the RSCDS  up  until
that  time  had  a 4 bar set and cast,  8 bar sets and casts
were reduced to that mode.  Historically the 8 bar  set  and
cast was 4 bars setting and a 4 bar cast which began with an
advance,  outward  turn,  followed by a lesierly 2 bar dance
down the outside.
One does not have to look at Playford to see where  the
Society is in error. It feels funny to have the music make a
transition  when  the dancer does not.  What the Society has
done is knocked 8 bars off the beginning of the dance and  8
off the end of the music to make it fit.

Goss
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