Hart's Tempẽte Dance

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As far as I know this is the first mescolanze dance published in the UK. It predates Chivers' dances by a year or two.

The earliest version I've found of this actually comes from Germany, though that book claims the dance was already popular so it probably has even earlier roots (I'd guess France as the original source, given the name). It was published by Johann Heinrich Kattfuß in Leipzig in 1802 Choregraphie Oder Vollständige Und Leicht Falssiche under the title of "Der Tempẽte".

In his Hart's Second Set of Quadrilles, Hart writes:

Form a line of 4, the 2 Ladies on the 2 Gentlemens right, 4 more opposite to the first 4, form lines of 4 behind the 2^d. line as many as intend to dance.

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FIGURE

The first 2 lines right and left, chassez across to the right and left with your partner, dechassez, in returning you go behind the 2^d. Couple The Center 4 hands round, the outside couple's turn and back all 8 Set quite round to the right re set to your places, the top four lead through the 2^d. line and begin the same figure with the 3^d. line & so on to the bottom of the dance.

The music consists of four 8 bar strains in 2/4 time.

Most later versions of the tempest start with lines of four going forward and back, so it's rather a surprise to begin with rights and lefts.

I tend to assume that "rights and lefts" would involve two couples, so when he says The first 2 lines right and left does he mean everyone does rights and lefts with the couple they are facing, or that all four couples do a grand chain?

The grand chain could start with partner, or it could start with neighbor or opposite. I think the latter is more in keeping with three couple grand chains, but the former is certainly possible.

I'm not sure what to make of chassez across to the right and left with your partner, dechassez, in returning you go behind the 2^d. Couple.

First who is "the 2d Couple"? This is from a book of quadrilles, and in a quadrille, the 2nd couple is the one opposite the 1st. But this isn't a quadrille, and he then says move right to go around the 2nd couple. So I presume the 1st couple is the one on the left end of the top line while the 2nd is the one on the right end of the line. I'm guessing this is like a couples mad robin: All couples take partner's hand, the leftmost couple in each line moves right and inside the set, while the rightmost couples move left and outside, when they reach the other end they switch with the new rightmost couple now moving left and outside (behind) while the new leftmost moves right and in. All ending back where they started.

Set quite round to the right re set to your places Going quite round, usually means making a complete circle, but we've only got 4 bars to play with here, and they also have to come back re set, so there's no way they have time to make a full eight person circle and back.

Then I thought it could mean a mad robin around partners, this does make a full circle, and it starts with the men (to whom the instructions are usually addressed) moving to their right, and it takes up the 4 bars we have available.

Hart doesn't say how to turn around at the ends of the line. I have people turning as a couple. This means that those who were centers are now on the outside and vice versa, so everyone gets to play each role. But if people just want to do the same thing, the whole line could wheel around (with the 1s backing up and the 2s going forward).

The tune was published by Joseph Binns Hart with his dance around 1819. The music was synthesized by Colin Hume's software

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