A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book
Verbal and Visual Instruction in Early Dance Manuals: The Curious Case of John Playford’s Tables
Authors: Salmi, Hanna
Editors: Peikola, Matti; Tyrkkö, Jukka; Varila, Mari-Liisa
Publication year: 2025
Book title : Graphic Practices and Literacies in the History of English
Series title: Utrecht Studies in Medieval Literacy
Number in series: 61
First page : 259
Last page: 280
ISBN: 978-2-503-60045-1
eISBN: 978-2-503-60046-8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1484/M.USML-EB.5.143829
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1484/M.USML-EB.5.143829
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/491737766
Movement and its different nuances can be very difficult to express in words. This chapter examines the tabular format introduced by John Playford in his famous 1651 manual "The English Dancing Master" to connect the different dance figures to the structure of the music. The presentation of this innovative table format changed throughout successive editions of the text, and in spite of the advantages of the table, each new edition made less use of it.
