Dancing with Playford
Suite for Chamber Orchestra
Duration: 10”30’
I. Argyle
II. Nymph Divine
III. The Silver Faulken
IV. Love’s Triumph
V. The Wedding Dance
The Dancing Master is a manual containing the music and instructions for English Country Dances, first published in 1651 by John Playford. Designed to aid in the teaching of dancing, the first edition contained over 100 dances each with a single line of melody and today the manual encompasses three volumes. ‘Dancing with Playford’ is made up of five short movements, each of which uses a different Playford dance tune as its genesis.
Commissioned by the Presteigne Festival and written in celebration of the Silver Wedding Anniversary of Jane and Robin Wickenden.
Image © Copyright Alex Ramsay