Customer Reviews

Country Capers - Music from John Playford's The English Dancing Master

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This album is a must-have for any fan of English Country Dances. Every dance on the disc comes from John Playford's influential 1651 edition of the "English Dancing Master", and almost every track is perfectly dancable (I know this from personal experience). The tunes are accurate to the original, the tempos are just right to dance to, and the arrangements are interesting and different from track to track. If you want to listen to what people were dancing to 350 years ago, buy this disc.

I have been using this CD for several years to teach English Country Dance, and it is without a doubt the most played in my collection. So many other compilations have just a taste of the melody, maybe enough for one verse, or the tempos are wrong. On this CD, everything is just right. The tempos are lively, yet easy to follow. Each piece has the correct number of repetitions to complete the dance. I particularly like that the dances are arranged by the number of couples. Especially good for performances, where a 2-couple set can move seamlessly from Rufty Tufty to Hearts Ease to Argeers without skipping a beat.

I love this CD because the music is similar to the ones used in old English movies where country balls are depicted. I love watching old vintage movies so hearing this CD is a pleasure.

If you are the type who loves to hear music during England's Victorian times, then this is for you. You won't go wrong with this CD.

This is the third or fourth CD of Playford's collection that I've purchased. It is the best. Lively, ebullient, highly musical.