Andante from New Harmony Community Dance Manual

[Larry Stout]

Here's a tune I've enjoyed playing on EC. It is from a manuscript "New Harmony Community Dance Manual" from 1826. The New Harmony in the title is an early intentional community in Indiana (USA) which lasted about 2 years. Does anyone recognize this or know who wrote it? The original has only the melody line.

 

I know the manuscript from a copy of a microfilm at the University of Illinois library archives. We play some of the dance tunes in the manuscript occasionally for dances set in the 1840's.

 

X:12

T:Andante

M:4/4

L:1/4

E:13

S:Community Dances 1826, New Harmony

K:C

P:A

c/2|"C"g2 e c|"G7"f2 d B|"C"c>d "Am"e/2c/2A/2"F"f/2|"C"e2 "G"d/4G/4A/4B/4c/4d/4e/4f/4|*

"C"g2 "Am"eA|"Am"c'2"F"a f|"F"a/2g/2f/2"C"e/2 e/2"G"d/2g/2B/2|"G"d2 "C"c :|*

P:B

|:"Dm"d>e f/2e/2f/2d/2|"C"g3/2 a/4b/4 c'/4b/4a/4g/4 f/4e/4d/4c/4|"C"g2 "Dm"f/2e/2f/2d/2|"Am"e2 d c|*

"C"e2 g e |"F"c'2 a "G7"g |"F"a/2g/2f/2"C"e/2 e/2"G"d/2g/2B/2|"G"d2 "C"c:|*

[Leo]

Hi Larry

 

That's a tough one. Close to me is an active Harmony Society National Historic Landmark site that has some occasional concerts of their varied music. Their collection contains:

....... roughly twenty thousand pages of music in both printed and manuscript form. This collection spans the course of a century, and ranges from popular songs, marches, and waltzes of the early 19th century, through classical pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Handel, and Haydn, to opera overtures by Rossini and Verdi. The religious repertoire of the Society is represented by numerous hymnals brought with them from Germany, their own published hymnals of 1820 and 1827, manuscript hymn books copied by members of the Society, and musical compositions written by members still existing in manuscript form. The period 1825 through 1831 was the "Golden Age" of Harmonist music. During this period the Harmonists operated an orchestra of approximately 21 pieces. Under the direction of the Society’s Dr. Muller and Pittsburgh’s Charles von Bonnhorst, the orchestra expanded its repertory into an exploration of serious art music. Orchestral activities dwindled after 1832 and the focus shifted to vocal music. Numerous vocal ensembles existed at Economy, including men’s and women’s ensembles, and "Gemischtechor" (mixed choruses). Brass bands were popular at Economy in the 1870s - 1890s, even including Economy’s Brass Band undertaking tours throughout the region and the Nation.

There is an email address on the bottom that may help and a website of the main "Village"

 

More information from an event last year: http://www.yourmoontownship.com/event/musi...conomy-village+

 

By the way, Andante means moderately slow tempo, a walking pace. I don't think it's a title. The piece could be a Mozart, or another classical piece.

 

Thanks

Leo

[Larry Stout]

Very interesting Leo-- but given the date (1826) on the manuscript it dates from the secular commune at New Harmony, Indiana, organized by Robert Owen, who bought the town from the Harmonists (who then moved to the main village in Pennsylvania) in 1825. The Owen communist community only lasted two years. Music from slightly earlier at New Harmony would be from the group you mention.

 

The manual gives instructions for 23 Cotillions and 22 set dances. It gives readable handwritten manuscript for music for 11 of the dances, 5 marches, one waltz, one song (Blue Eyed Mary), and the piece labeled Andante I gave above. There are also fragments of other dances, perhaps just enough to remind the fiddler of what was to be played.

 

The cotillion "Social System" (abc file attachede) was mentioned by Karl Bernard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenbach during his visit to New Harmony 16 April 1826, duing the Owen period.

 

X:4

T:Social System

M:2/4

L:1/16

E:10

S:Community Dances 1826, New Harmony

K:D

P:A

"D"A2AF Addf|"A7"edef "G"dBB2|"D"A2AF Addf|"A7"edef "D"d4:|*

P:B

|:"D"faa2 "G"gbb2| "D"agfe "G"dBB2|"D"daa2 "G"gbbc'| "D"d'c'ba "G"b4|*

"D"faa2 "G"gbb2| "D"agfe "G"dBB2|"D"A2AF Addf| "A7"edef "D"d4:|*

[Leo]

Hi Larry

 

Yes I forgot about Mr. Owens experiment. Since he opened his society to any person that believed in his ideals, it does create a broader population to look for the music, as it can be from anywhere in Europe rather than the German society of Rapp. Do you think this will narrow it down some?

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/jsivier/www/dance....html#cotilions

 

Have you tried this service? Use the piano keyboard to put in the notes, and hope: http://www.folktunefinder.com/advancedSearch/

It seems to work OK, although I don't use it very often.

 

Thanks

Leo

PS. Some good research in transcribing there. Nicely done. I just caught that.

Edited June 4, 2009 by Leo

[Robin Harrison]

Hi Larry.............. I very much enjoyed both of these tunes; thanks for posting them. You mention there were 11 that were readable. Would you be able to post the other 9 at some point (even in their original form if this is too much to do )

Well Done

Robin

[Larry Stout]

Hi Larry

 

Yes I forgot about Mr. Owens experiment. Since he opened his society to any person that believed in his ideals, it does create a broader population to look for the music, as it can be from anywhere in Europe rather than the German society of Rapp. Do you think this will narrow it down some?

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/jsivier/www/dance....html#cotilions

 

Thanks

Leo

PS. Some good research in transcribing there. Nicely done. I just caught that.

 

Thanks

 

Jonathan's site has my transcriptions of all of the readable tunes together with his interpretation of the dance instructions. You can find the link to the pdf of the sheet music at the bottom of his page. The chords were worked out by Tom Anderson and Richard Englebrecht-Wiggans. I have three part arrangements of some of the tunes, but the single line is all that is given in the manuscript.

 

I found it amusing that what we know as Chorus Jig appears under the title Cora's Jig.

 

Larry

[Robin Harrison]

Perfect.........thanks again.

I listened to your recording of Hunsdon House and much enjoyed it. One of the great English Country Dance tunes ?

I like to slow it down so it's closer to a slow air. To me it's an example of how a dance tune can sound different when you are not constrained by the necessity of playing at a tempo the dancers need.......just choosing a tempo that seems to suit the mood of the tune.

Robin