"The truly noble Courant (koo-RAUNT) or Coronto (koo-RAUNT-o) which is considered a French Masque type Baroque & Renaissance dance (popular in 17th. Century England) as [the French] perfected it....Originally, the Courant came from Italy to France via Catherine de Medici (1518-1589)[...] The Elizabethan Courante was much quicker than the Courante of [of the reigns of] Louis XIV (1638-1715) and Charles II (1661-1700).[...] "Originally It was reported as a Pantomimic wooing dance.[...]"It has been compared to the Spanish Seguidilla, and is by some supposed to be the parent of the waltz and the precursor to the Minuet which was a Branles of Poitou, and was thus called because of its small steps and was derived from the Courante. When the pupil knew the steps of the Courante well, when he could turn his feet properly and control his movements, he was initiated into the mysteries of the graceful and ceremonious Minuet, which took three months to learn, and of which there were endless varieties (learning the courant was considered a prerequisite to the Minuet)...." http://www.streetswing.com/histma…
Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield (1584-1656), son of Sir John Stanhope and his wife Cordell Allington, was an English aristocrat.
He was married in 1605 to Cathrine, daughter of Francis, Lord Hastings. He was the great-grandson of Anne Stanhope (1497-1587), the wife of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (c.1506-1552). He was knighted in 1605 by King James I and made Baron Stanhope of Shelford. He was made 1st Earl of Chesterfield in 1628 by King Charles I. He was succeeded by his grandson, also Philip.
"It is noteworthy that in England there was not the sharp division between court and village dancing which characterised the French and Italian scenes of the period and when it came to dancing, especially when it came to completing sets, people of all classes mixed freely (class divisions being so well internalised that people could mix without fear anyone would forget their place). Most noticeably of all to the French eye was, however, the fact that while the continental dances involved display to a partner, processions with a partner or dancing without a partner in a circle, the English dances involved couples dancing with couples within a group. For such dancing Italian and French masters used the expression 'Contra-danza' / 'Contredanse' (analogous to contemporary musical terminology -the first recorded use being in de Lauze's 1623 *Apologie de la danse*). Although the term 'country dance' was initially used as descriptor of place of origin (not from the city), and although the term 'contredances' was initially used as a descriptor of formation (not a partnerless or couples-by-themselves dance),...the two terms soon became synonymous - both refering to a style of dance whether danced in court or country.[...]With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 dancing quickly returned to public life. Charles II came back from France with a love of music and dance and Samuel Pepys recorded that at a New Year's Eve Ball at White Hall in 1662, after a 'Bransle':
'the King led a lady a single Coranto; and then the rest of the lords, one after another, other ladies. Very noble it was, and great pleasure to see. Then to Country dances; the King leading the first which he called for; which was - say he, Cuckolds all a-row the old dance of England.'
The King's favourite 'country dance' had appeared in the first edition of Playford's Dancing Master, a copy of which Pepys had bought from the author a month or so before the ball. Pepys himself, was not a keen dancer. He'd been brought up as a puritan and parliamentarian sympathizer, and never really tried dancing till 1661 when invited to join in at a friend's party. He made such a bad fist of it, in an age when competency in this area was so important to the make-up of a gentilhomme, that he resolved that he should learn more...and indeed, later decided that his wife should too. In 1663 he hired dancing teachers Mary Ashwell and Mr Pembleton to come to his home, but his suspicion that his wife had taken to her male teacher and her suspicion that Pepys had taken to his female teacher, led to jealousy and arguments.... The lessons soon ended - Pepys noting that there was no more dancing, that his coranto was soon forgotten and that he could fall 'to quiet of mind and business again'." http://www.earthlydelights.com.au…
They "having done the Pay there before we could have thought it."
The L&M text lacks the comma; the sense seems to be that Sir J. Minnes and Sir W. Batten had done the Pay at Portsmouth faster that Pepys and his crew could have imagined they would.
"Simple" was the style of Quakers at this time -- 2. Free from, devoid of, pride, ostentation, or display; humble, unpretentious. [and] 6. a. Of persons or their attire: Not marked by any elegance or grandeur; very plain or homely.
A religio-political balanced evening: Psalm singing was permitted in the time of the Cromwells "and became the dominant form of Christian music from the Puritan Period through the early 19th century in England and the United States." http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchrist… The symphonys were a speciality of the Restoration.
"examining my copy of Mr. Holland’s book till 10 at night"
Is this a continuation of yesterday's lessons with Mr. Creed? John Hollond (sic), experienced in paying of ships and the politics thereof in times of fiscal shortage, wrote about naval administration, esp. abuses in victualling, dead-pays, misuse of stores, etc.
Well, yes, at least of the bipedal sort; there were surely gutters and drainpipes in use at this time (the Roman faves were terra cotta); but whether Seething Lane on this day was properly equipped with them, given the recent irregular remodelings might have been hard to know, except experientially/experimentally.
The handling of imprest funds (petty cash in far from petty amounts) was indeed what the morning with Mr. Creed was about. Has Pepys sat down for an informal lesson from Creed in what is often called 'legal graft'? How does this jibe with the "disservice" he had rendered "Mr. Creed's accounts" and with his concerns about the collusion between Batten and Wood?
"Is this State Business, Personal Business or both?"
Nice question, A. De Araujo; methinks Personal Business.
I don't think "Creed's accounts" for contigency funds for provisioning ships in the past, about which Pepys, an honest accountant, has already made both positive and negative judgements, are in question here.
The "great letter...to my Lord Treasurer" is pretty much a done deal, it having earned the imprimatur of the Treasurer of the Navy, Sir G. Carteret.
Ergo methinks this "discoursing of ways to get money" is held with the enlargement of salaries announced yesterday in the mind of the Diarist, who has been lately concerned with avoiding "running behindhand in the world" -- his concern about *The Deprived Life of Bess*, which has left him painfully vulnerable to the schemes of Balty, her confidante.
Mr Pepys shows his value as a member of a committee --
Given two views "one contrary to another," whose proponent are unaware of each other's proposals, he talks to the more powerful one, "being desirous to please both," -- to mediate, and, sure enough, he decides "I think I have found out a way to do it" -- .
How interesting it would be to know what issues were at stake, since there seems to have been no precedent for "our letter to my Lord Treasurer", or else some boilerplate would long since have solved the Composition Quandary.
In what respects do Sir G. Carteret and Mr. Coventry differ? Are these dueling paradigms? ("The Letter should be more like an Invoice" vs. "more like a legal case"?)
In a note to 11 Dec., L&M say there are copies and a synopsis of it in the archives.
An annual cost of living adjustment of Officers's salaries UP must mean there is inflation at court, since the are [a very] few who will go over to the competition {the Dutch, the French or the Spanish, e.g.). Is this a hint of Government profligacy? Stay tuned, folks.
L&M note that what we in the USA call an annual COLA (cost of living adjustment) was now in the purview of the Auditors of the Exchequer for the Navy Office officers and others, and that Pepys was now in line for this on a regular basis.
"so I dined with my own company only, taking Mr. Hater home with me"
I read this that Mr. Coventry doesn't belong to Sam's "company," but Mr. Hater does. Had Coventry come, would they two have dined at a different venue?
Comments
First Reading
About Courante
Terry F • Link
"The truly noble Courant (koo-RAUNT) or Coronto (koo-RAUNT-o) which is considered a French Masque type Baroque & Renaissance dance (popular in 17th. Century England) as [the French] perfected it....Originally, the Courant came from Italy to France via Catherine de Medici (1518-1589)[...] The Elizabethan Courante was much quicker than the Courante of [of the reigns of] Louis XIV (1638-1715) and Charles II (1661-1700).[...] "Originally It was reported as a Pantomimic wooing dance.[...]"It has been compared to the Spanish Seguidilla, and is by some supposed to be the parent of the waltz and the precursor to the Minuet which was a Branles of Poitou, and was thus called because of its small steps and was derived from the Courante. When the pupil knew the steps of the Courante well, when he could turn his feet properly and control his movements, he was initiated into the mysteries of the graceful and ceremonious Minuet, which took three months to learn, and of which there were endless varieties (learning the courant was considered a prerequisite to the Minuet)...." http://www.streetswing.com/histma…
About Philip Stanhope (2nd Earl of Chesterfield)
Terry F • Link
Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield (1584-1656), son of Sir John Stanhope and his wife Cordell Allington, was an English aristocrat.
He was married in 1605 to Cathrine, daughter of Francis, Lord Hastings. He was the great-grandson of Anne Stanhope (1497-1587), the wife of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (c.1506-1552). He was knighted in 1605 by King James I and made Baron Stanhope of Shelford. He was made 1st Earl of Chesterfield in 1628 by King Charles I. He was succeeded by his grandson, also Philip.
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil…
About Banqueting House (Whitehall Palace)
Terry F • Link
The Banqueting House of Whitehall Palace
By Peter Easton
http://www.pepysdiary.com/indepth…
About General dancing information
Terry F • Link
17th century dance history
"It is noteworthy that in England there was not the sharp division between court and village dancing which characterised the French and Italian scenes of the period and when it came to dancing, especially when it came to completing sets, people of all classes mixed freely (class divisions being so well internalised that people could mix without fear anyone would forget their place). Most noticeably of all to the French eye was, however, the fact that while the continental dances involved display to a partner, processions with a partner or dancing without a partner in a circle, the English dances involved couples dancing with couples within a group. For such dancing Italian and French masters used the expression 'Contra-danza' / 'Contredanse' (analogous to contemporary musical terminology -the first recorded use being in de Lauze's 1623 *Apologie de la danse*). Although the term 'country dance' was initially used as descriptor of place of origin (not from the city), and although the term 'contredances' was initially used as a descriptor of formation (not a partnerless or couples-by-themselves dance),...the two terms soon became synonymous - both refering to a style of dance whether danced in court or country.[...]With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 dancing quickly returned to public life. Charles II came back from France with a love of music and dance and Samuel Pepys recorded that at a New Year's Eve Ball at White Hall in 1662, after a 'Bransle':
'the King led a lady a single Coranto; and then the rest of the lords, one after another, other ladies. Very noble it was, and great pleasure to see. Then to Country dances; the King leading the first which he called for; which was - say he, Cuckolds all a-row the old dance of England.'
The King's favourite 'country dance' had appeared in the first edition of Playford's Dancing Master, a copy of which Pepys had bought from the author a month or so before the ball. Pepys himself, was not a keen dancer. He'd been brought up as a puritan and parliamentarian sympathizer, and never really tried dancing till 1661 when invited to join in at a friend's party. He made such a bad fist of it, in an age when competency in this area was so important to the make-up of a gentilhomme, that he resolved that he should learn more...and indeed, later decided that his wife should too. In 1663 he hired dancing teachers Mary Ashwell and Mr Pembleton to come to his home, but his suspicion that his wife had taken to her male teacher and her suspicion that Pepys had taken to his female teacher, led to jealousy and arguments.... The lessons soon ended - Pepys noting that there was no more dancing, that his coranto was soon forgotten and that he could fall 'to quiet of mind and business again'." http://www.earthlydelights.com.au…
About Tuesday 23 December 1662
Terry F • Link
They "having done the Pay there before we could have thought it."
The L&M text lacks the comma; the sense seems to be that Sir J. Minnes and Sir W. Batten had done the Pay at Portsmouth faster that Pepys and his crew could have imagined they would.
About Sunday 21 December 1662
Terry F • Link
"Simple" was the style of Quakers at this time --
2. Free from, devoid of, pride, ostentation, or display; humble, unpretentious. [and]
6. a. Of persons or their attire: Not marked by any elegance or grandeur; very plain or homely.
Thank you language hat.
About Sunday 14 December 1662
Terry F • Link
"We sang...Psalms...and played...symphonys"
A religio-political balanced evening:
Psalm singing was permitted in the time of the Cromwells "and became the dominant form of Christian music from the Puritan Period through the early 19th century in England and the United States." http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchrist…
The symphonys were a speciality of the Restoration.
About Annotators of Sam
Terry F • Link
Really cool and keen, Jeannine!
A wreath of Christmas flowers laid on Sam's grave. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imag…
About Monday 15 December 1662
Terry F. • Link
Skate not yet a verb indeed
to "skate" is not clearly traced. The verb is attested from 1696....
http://www.etymonline.com/index.p…
Keen observation, Jesse.
About Friday 12 December 1662
Terry F • Link
"examining my copy of Mr. Holland’s book till 10 at night"
Is this a continuation of yesterday's lessons with Mr. Creed?
John Hollond (sic), experienced in paying of ships and the politics thereof in times of fiscal shortage, wrote about naval administration, esp. abuses in victualling, dead-pays, misuse of stores, etc.
About Friday 12 December 1662
Terry F • Link
"Are there drips in the house?"
Well, yes, at least of the bipedal sort; there were surely gutters and drainpipes in use at this time (the Roman faves were terra cotta); but whether Seething Lane on this day was properly equipped with them, given the recent irregular remodelings might have been hard to know, except experientially/experimentally.
Next Q.: Are there buckets in the house?
About Thursday 11 December 1662
Terry F • Link
The handling of imprest funds (petty cash in far from petty amounts) was indeed what the morning with Mr. Creed was about. Has Pepys sat down for an informal lesson from Creed in what is often called 'legal graft'? How does this jibe with the "disservice" he had rendered "Mr. Creed's accounts" and with his concerns about the collusion between Batten and Wood?
About Thursday 11 December 1662
Terry F • Link
"Is this State Business, Personal Business or both?"
Nice question, A. De Araujo; methinks Personal Business.
I don't think "Creed's accounts" for contigency funds for provisioning ships in the past, about which Pepys, an honest accountant, has already made both positive and negative judgements, are in question here.
The "great letter...to my Lord Treasurer" is pretty much a done deal, it having earned the imprimatur of the Treasurer of the Navy, Sir G. Carteret.
Ergo methinks this "discoursing of ways to get money" is held with the enlargement of salaries announced yesterday in the mind of the Diarist, who has been lately concerned with avoiding "running behindhand in the world" -- his concern about *The Deprived Life of Bess*, which has left him painfully vulnerable to the schemes of Balty, her confidante.
About Wednesday 10 December 1662
Terry F • Link
Mr Pepys shows his value as a member of a committee --
Given two views "one contrary to another," whose proponent are unaware of each other's proposals, he talks to the more powerful one, "being desirous to please both," -- to mediate, and, sure enough, he decides "I think I have found out a way to do it" -- .
How interesting it would be to know what issues were at stake, since there seems to have been no precedent for "our letter to my Lord Treasurer", or else some boilerplate would long since have solved the Composition Quandary.
In what respects do Sir G. Carteret and Mr. Coventry differ? Are these dueling paradigms? ("The Letter should be more like an Invoice" vs. "more like a legal case"?)
In a note to 11 Dec., L&M say there are copies and a synopsis of it in the archives.
About Wednesday 10 December 1662
Terry F • Link
An annual cost of living adjustment of Officers's salaries UP must mean there is inflation at court, since the are [a very] few who will go over to the competition {the Dutch, the French or the Spanish, e.g.). Is this a hint of Government profligacy? Stay tuned, folks.
About John Creed
Terry F • Link
He would also have been liable for the progressive salary tax to support the militia per an act of late 1662
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
About Tuesday 9 December 1662
Terry F • Link
"Does anyone know of any journals written by women of Pepys’s time?"
JudyB, take a look in the Background info at Further reading > Contemporary diaries http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Lady Fanshawe’s memoirs are online:
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/ete… There are other memoirs but not quite "diaries" in the diurnal sense of Pepys's here: http://www.diarysearch.co.uk/inde…
About Wednesday 10 December 1662
Terry F • Link
"We...did discourse of our salarys"
L&M note that what we in the USA call an annual COLA (cost of living adjustment) was now in the purview of the Auditors of the Exchequer for the Navy Office officers and others, and that Pepys was now in line for this on a regular basis.
About Contemporary diaries
Terry F • Link
John Evelyn’s Diary available for download opened for me in Word 2000.
About Tuesday 9 December 1662
Terry F • Link
"so I dined with my own company only, taking Mr. Hater home with me"
I read this that Mr. Coventry doesn't belong to Sam's "company," but Mr. Hater does. Had Coventry come, would they two have dined at a different venue?
I find this entire sentence confusing.