Description

Album 3 – Sugar and Spice

The player above allows you to hear every song on the album – click on “play” (4), “forward” (:) or “backward”(9). To buy a track or the full album for download on Bandcamp: click on “buy”.

18 tracks :

• Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
• Blew Cap
• Pretty Miss
• Ethel’s Dance
• Lady in the Dark
• Rufty Tufty
• Speed the Plough
• Kettle Drum
• Market Day
• Charming Maid
• Staines Morris
• Dargason
• Waltz Country Dance
• Northern Nancy
• Row Well ye Marriners
• The Maid Peeped out of the Window
• Draper’s Maggot
• Windy Morning

The musics of this 3rd Chestnut album correspond to the dances described in the brochure 3 – Sugar and Spice (FR) (only in French for the moment). 

This CD is meant to be as enjoyable to listen to as to dance to. As the name suggests, the dances have been chosen for their contrasting tastes, colours and atmospheres. Some, for their interesting choreography; others, to help discover dances for which no recordings had been made, or just once long ago and no longer available.
I also took the opportunity to present new interpretations for some dances and one creation: Windy Morning.
As a boon to dancers, each tune starts with a chord or a few introduction notes; all have the number of repeats needed for the dance, and tempi have been chosen to fit the mood of each dance and enhance their enjoyment. Before the CD was published, all dances in it were tried by Chestnut members, whose contribution is much appreciated.
In 1602 the Earl of Worcester wrote in a letter: “we are frolic here at Court: much dancing in the privy-chamber of Country-dances before the Queen’s Majesty who is exceedingly pleased therewith”.
Four centuries later, English Country Dancing – the dance peculiar to the nation, expressing its talent – still has its fans!
Its development in France has been less obvious than that of its Irish, Scottish or U.S. cousins, but it is a great source of fun for present day dancers. Proof of its vitality: many tunes have been composed for English country dances, and lots of new choreographies.
As far as I am concerned however, I chose to return to the Playford editions and there found my (and my dancers’) fill of « Sugar and Spice ».