Aye Me ~ Sharp
The Symphony ~ Sharp
Ay Me ~ Sharp
Aye Me ~ Sharp or The Symphony ~ Sharp is an English Country Dance. It was published by John Playford (website) in 1651 in The English Dancing Master, London. It was interpreted by Cecil Sharp (website) in 1916 and published in The Country Dance Book (Part 4). It is a proper 4 Couple Longways dance. There is no progression in this dance. It is a USA dance. The dance lasts 96 bars. It is in the key: C Major.
I cannot make good sense of Sharp's instructions (nor Playford's nor those in The Playford Ball. In B5&B6 (Part 3), Sharp says "1st man with right hand take 4th man (in second place) by left hand, change places, both moving counter-clockwise". I have to have M1 (and W1) dancing backwards to follow this instructions. While this might be what is intended it seems unlikely.
The Playford Ball adds the notation "(as in a gypsy)" but in a gypsy both would use the same hand, so I can't make sense of that either.
Playford's original text is similar to Sharp's (or vice-versa) and is no additional help.
Phillipe Callens has an interpretation which I much prefer where the 4s gate the 1s.
This is one of Cecil Sharp's attempts to understand siding.
Playford writes:
Lead all up a D. forward ad back, back men, back we. turn S. All that again First and last cu. cast off and fall into the 2. and 3. cu. place, change with your own, go on the outside into the first and last place again, then crossing over go on the outside into the 2. and 3. place, and in doing it, the men take the other men by the hands and turn them abount into first and last place, we. doing the like with the we. the other four as much Sides all into each others places, back men, back we. turn S. That again The first cu. open, the 2. close, the 3. open, the 4 close, all at once, the first cu. fall back into the 2. place while the 3. fall back into the 4. the 2 slipping up into the 1. and the 4 into the 3. place, thus back again into your own places; face downward, and all this again Arms as you sided First and last cu. meet go through, change places with your own, the 1. man take the 4. by the left with his right, and turning off to the left, change places with him, and stay in the 2. and 3. place, change with your own whilst the wo. do the like The other four as much
The tune was published by Playford with the dance of the same name. The music was synthesized by Colin Hume's software
The animation plays at 111 counts per minute. Men are drawn as rectangles, women as ellipses. Each couple is drawn in its own color.
| I.A1 | 1-4 | Up a double and fall back |
| 5-8 | Men fall back, women fall back, both forward turning single | |
| I.A2 | 1-8 | That again (up a double and back, fall back, turn single) |
| I.B1 | 1-4 | Top and bottom couples cast to middle and change with partner (middles lead to ends) |
| 5-6 | The same people cast back to ends and cross | |
| 7-8 | Men half two hand turn neighbor man counter-clockwise, women half two hand turn clockwise | |
| I.B2 | 1-8 | That again (new ends cast, cross, cast, neighbor two hands half) |
| II.A1 | 1-4 | Set right and honour and change with partner by the left |
| 5-8 | Men fall back, women fall back, both forward turning single | |
| II.A2 | 1-8 | That again (Set, honour and change, fall back, turn single) |
| II.B1 | 1-2 | All face up: 1s+3s slip out four steps, 2s+4s slip in to meet |
| 3-4 | 1s+3s fall back, 2s+4s forward | |
| 5-6 | 1s+3s slip in, 2s+4s slip out | |
| 7-8 | 1s+3s forward, 2s+4s fall back | |
| II.B2 | 1-2 | All face down: 1s+3s slip out four steps, 2s+4s slip in to meet |
| 3-4 | 1s+3s fall back, 2s+4s forward | |
| 5-6 | 1s+3s slip in, 2s+4s slip out | |
| 7-8 | 1s+3s forward, 2s+4s fall back all end home | |
| III.A1 | 1-4 | Right arming once and a half |
| 5-8 | Men fall back, women fall back, both forward turning single | |
| III.A2 | 1-4 | Left arming once and a half |
| 5-8 | Men fall back, women fall back, both forward turning single | |
| III.B1 | 1-4 | End couples lead in (to meet other end), opposite pass through and partner pass through, middles cast to nearest end |
| 5-6 | M1 with right hand clasp M4's left, turn counter-clockwise as W1's left clasp W4's right, turn clockwise | |
| 7-8 | Pass through with partner | |
| III.B2 | 1-4 | New end couples lead in , opposite pass through and partner pass through, middles cast to nearest end |
| 5-6 | M2 with right hand clasp M3's left, turn counter-clockwise as W2's left clasp W3's right, turn clockwise | |
| 7-8 | Change with partner |
If you find what you believe to be a mistake in this animation, please leave a comment on youtube explaining what you believe to be wrong. If I agree with you I shall do my best to fix it.
If you wish to link to this animation please see my comments on the perils of youtube. You may freely link to this page, of course, and that should have no problems, but use one of my redirects when linking to the youtube video itself:
https://www.upadouble.info/redirect.php?id=AyeMe-Sharp
The dance itself is out of copyright, and is in the public domain. The interpretation is out of copyright, and is in the public domain. My visualization of this dance is copyright © 2024 by George W. Williams V and is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This website is copyright © 2021,2022,2023,2024 by George W. Williams V
My work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Most of the dances have more restrictive licensing, see my notes on copyright, the individual dance pages should mention when some rights are waived.