Country Dances and Courtly Literature

A Brown Study of Music and Dance of the Time, with a preface of SOCIETY

LADY INFO

Society

• “Almost every man listens with eagerness to a contemporary historian, for almost every man has some real or imaginary connexion to a literary character”—imp. to keep in mind, which literary character does each Rival character idolize?

• “The Pleasure which men are able to give in conversation holds no stated proportion to their knowledge or virtue” (pg. 174)

Society: Where does your Character Fall?

• “Merry Fellow” : “the first place among those who please…the highest exultation of gladness”

• “Good Natured Man”: “the characteristic is to bear a joke, to sit unmoved and unaffected amid noise and turbulence, to hear every tale without contradiction”

• “Modest Man”: “a man whose only power of pleasure is not to interrupt it”

Society: where do your character’s fall

• “Many, without being able to attain a general character of excellence, have some single art of entertainment which serves them as a passport through the world” (pg. 177)– Gives examples of men telling the same story

night after night, one wearing his wig reversed, one who purrs like a cat and then pretends to be frightened

Society: From “Young Misses Magazine

• This magazine claims to be a series of conversation between a governess and young ladies—It passes on Biblical stories and teaches manners and proper opinions. Frankly, it reminds me a bit of Highlights Magazine series “Goofus and Gallant”

• Front Cover: “In which, each lady is made to speak…their several faults pointed out, and an easy way to mend them, as well as to think and speak and act properly…the useful I blended with the agreeable” (from the front cover)

Society: from “Young Misses Magazine”

• From Dialogue XVIII (pg. 5) • In this issue they discuss the fear of death and how

quickly life passes, Lady Witty saying, “Before I die, I could wish to have seen the world and had some share of diversion” while Lady Charlotte claims to not care for life, but fears death for her naughtiness

• Interesting how the women discuss death so easily and yet all of them fear it in the light conversation—although the conversation seem breezy it’s fueled by a darker underbelly

Society: from “Young Misses Magazine”

• The characters have telling names, as in The Rivals– Lady Sensible, Lady Witty, Mrs. Affable

• Mrs. Affable gently instructs her pupils how to pray, to give to the poor, and discuss Ireland and bits of geography

• FROM “THE SEVENTEENTH DAY” (pg. 30), Mrs. Affable says to her young female charges “In reality reading is of little service…the mind is brought to delight in what is false”—she then instructs the ladies to read history before fictional accounts

Society: from “Young Misses Magazine”

• Affable juxtaposes this “false” fictional story with a Bible story—this reminds me both of Lydia’s desire to read and Sir Anthony and Mrs. Malaprop’s conversation on the education of a woman

• Mrs. Affable tells stories to the girls although they are historically based and thusly “good and proper” for young ladies

From the “Guide to the Fair Sex”

• Presents the opportunity to learn “Rules, Directions, and Observations for their Conduct and Behavior…as Virgins, Wives, and Widows”– Brags to teach women “Good Housewifery” but most

importantly to cook well– Aka promises to teach 40 different kinds of puddings

as well as soups and sauces– Chapters include everything from “Meekness” and

“Affability” to what to do if your husband is a drunkard

From the “Guide to the Fairer Sex”• The first Chapter is “Of Religion”, followed by “Of

Modesty”, “Of Meekness”, “Of Compassion”, “Of Affability”

• “Of Virgins”: “Two great elements, essential to the virgin state, are modesty and obedience (pg .71).

• “Of Widows”: “The conjugal love is transferred to the grave” (pg. 145)… “(a widow) must remember as not to do anything below herself, or which he…should justly have been ashamed of” (pg. 146)– Once a husband dies, the widow’s life should become about his

memory and children

From the “Guide to the Fairer Sex”

• Although this text comes from 1737 which predates The Rivals, it still seems to be very strict on the qualities of behavior.

• The question is how much does the societal expectation hold your character from doing what they want? Does it feel like a transgression or is it easy? How does the environment of Bath help women break out from these traditional roles?

Viva La Musica

• Baroque Art: features exaggerated lighting, intense emotions, release form restraint, and artistic sensationalism, pre-dates the Rivals’ time wise but inspired the Rococo style/ the popular musicians don’t pre-date as much as the art does.

• Baroque Music: Western music whose period extended from 1600 to 1750, the style utilizes ornamentation in the songs – the style of JS Bach and William Boyce– Developed new ways of playing instruments

Baroque Art

The Ecstasy of St. Theresa, by Bernini

Note the exaggerated light, the intense curly-cues, the decoration. Pre-dates the Rococo style which, I believe to be the most helpful to the Rivals.

Baroque Art

The Entombment of Christ, by Caravaggio

Baroque Art

The Disembarkment at Marseilles, by Reuben's

William Boyce

• William Boyce: (1711-1779) considered one of the most important English-born composers– Composed a set of eight symphonies, odes, and anthems/

incidental music for many Shakespeare plays– Teacher of Thomas Linley– Light and Varied works created for Pleasure Gardens– Wrote Maque Peulus and Thetis

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUHI9m0X5LU– composed “Heart of Oak”, lyrics by David Garrick

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NXFCDgyanA

Johann Sebastian Bach

• Towering figure of Baroque music, created grand scale works such as St. John Passion, St. Matthew Passion, much musical innovation

• Bach wrote many Organ works: here is a selection from “Das Orgelbuchlein” (the little organ book)– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXlroaovi3M

• Bradenberg Concertos:-http://www.youtube.com/watch

v=_jXKIy_2p5U&feature=related

Thomas Linley

• Brother of Elizabeth Linley (wife of RB)• Apprenticed to William Boyce• Many of his works lost in Drury Lane Fire, died very

young at 22– Arise! Ye Sprits of the Storm

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux_5qVe61zk

• Helped to write the music for “La Duenna” (RB’s operetta)– La Duenna

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pUmMUaReIo

CPE Bach

• 1714-1788• Son of Johann Sebastian Bach• Worked in the “sensitive style”/ used rhetoric and

drama in musical structures/ lucid is style/ tender in expression

• CPE Bach Flute Concerto 1st Movement– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEUciwBJKjY

• Flute Sonata in E flat major– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRPTZN9JfZY

Sentimental Novel

• Also known as the “novel of sensibility”• Relied on Emotional response from readers

and characters• BEGINNING OF THE ROMANTIC COMEDY• Advances emotions rather than intellect• Examples: “A Sentimental Journey” by

Laurence Stern, Tom Jones novels Henry Fielding

Early Gothic Novel

• Literary Genre featuring mystery, doom, decay, old buildings with ghosts in them

• First Gothic Novel: “The Ghost of Otranto” by Horace Walpol (1764)

• Second prominent arise of Gothic Novel: “The Mysteries of Udolpho” by Ann Radcliffe (1794)

Bibliography• De Beaumont, Leprince. "The Young Misses Magazine::."

Google Books. Google.com, n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?id=DmwEAAAAYAAJ>.

• Johnson, Samuel. "Life and Writings of Samuel Johnson ..." Google Books. Harper and Brothers, Publishers, n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?id=ClcVAAAAYAAJ>.

• "The Whole Duty of a Woman, Or, An Infallible Guide to the Fair Sex:." Google Books. Google.com, n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?id=SncEAAAAYAAJ>.