THE COUNTRY DANCER VOLUME 1 NUMBER 2 ( Copyright 1940 by PM I nc. Reprinted by special perm:ssion ) "Christchurch Bells" Christmas Country Dance Party in New York JANUARY FIFTEEN CENTS 19 41 CONTENTS page EDITORIAL ................... ....................................... ··········- ----- ····························- .................................... 15 AUTUMN MUSICAL MEETING IN BOSTON ................................................... _______ 16 Eleanore Hubbard THREE TRIPLE MINORS-Numbers Two and Three ...................................................... 17 Frances H. Jackson RHYTHM AND THE DANCER ................... ........ ........... ··········· ............................ 18 Melville Smith THE MUMMERS' PLAY ........... _ ............ 20 May Gadd CHRISTMAS REVELS IN NEVv' YORK .. ············· .......... 22 Adrian Hull THE COUNTRY DANCER ········ .................................. 22 SPRING FESTIVAL _______ .. .......... ... ········ ... ······ .............. 22 NEW CENTERS _______ _ ............................. 23 ADVISORY BOARD ......... -·------------·--···------·--··· . ..................................................... 23 BEREA CHRISTMAS SCHOOL ....... ... 23 Marie Marvell NEWS FROM REGIONS AND CENTERS . ··············-······ .......................................... 24 GIFT TO LIBRARY ......................................................... ......... ........................ 25 HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY DANCE SOCi l::TY - Part Two ------------·-····- ............. 26 NEW YORK ACTIVITIES .. ... ·····-····-··········· ... .... .. ... ........... .. .. ... .. __ ................... ____ .. 27 nOARD OF EDITORS May Gadd - Albert Meyer - Agnes Roger!: Ruth Sanders - Evelyn K. Wells PL•blished four times yearly November to May by THE COUNTRY DANCE SOCIETY, Inc. 15 ~as+ 40th Street, New York, N. Y. Telephone: Lexington 2-7137 Fifty ccn:s a year; Fifteen cen:s a copy · ~· 357 15 THE COUNTRY DANCER THE MAGAZINE OF THE COUNTRY DANCE SOCIETY Volume 1 JANUARY 1941 Number 2 EDITORIALS FOLK DANCING AND DANCING IN ENGLAND THE WORLD TODAY N days to come it seems very po sible that the I pre ent i ue of periodicals such a Fnglish Dance and Song, may be trea ured as provid­ HAVE recently been r_e-reading ~h ~ life of ing valuable data concerning the attitude of the Cecil Sharp and I find It more thnllmg than I English people toward the series of "regrettable I found it in M ay, when I read it for the 1939, adventure " that they are encountering. We first time. Again I realize, and more than I did read in this magazine an account given by the before, that "he had the generosity and endur­ Briti h Drama League of its own activities, in ance of the Scholar" and that "he had passion which it state its plea ure at being able to offer for finding beauty in common things." This temporary hospitality to the offi ce of the Eng­ seems to me a moment in the world's history lish Folk Dance and Song Society, after the when men are searching for security as they bombing of Cecil Sharp Hou e, and announces never have sought for it before. They have that the league "is active in promoting enter­ never been so free to search for it as they are tainment for troop , munition workers and war today. And that security they must find in the workers of every kind and is encouraged to very heart of things-in the common things of know tha t its sister body, the E.F.D.S., is full life. That i why folk dancing i. coming more of life, and in no way di mayed by its recent and more into the hearts of the people, for more regrettable adventure." Most of the accounts of a nd more do people wish to do in common, the dance activities in the Branches, seem deter­ things that are common to all. mined to ignore any difficulties that there may In addition to thi is the great beauty of the be in their way. H ertford hire remarks philoso­ movements of the folk dance. Rhythm lies at phically that its nearne s to London used to be the base of our breathing, of our heart beats, of an advantage, as functions at Cecil Sharp our walking. And the respon e that we feel in Hou e could be easily attended, but that " natu­ the e dances is the response to our own personal rall y we can't have it both ways, so now we natural rhythm. In these times of anguish for are sticking out days and nights of Alerts, the whole world, whatever may bring people Barrage and Bang ." K ent make some_ conce - together to experience an uplifted heart, a sen e sion to wartime conditions by announcmg that of joy, a ense of belonging to one another, a the Beckenham Center will meet on Saturday physical exaltation, is a God end to men, and afternoons "Air R aids Permitting" and that the folk dancing doe all these things. It is a rhyth­ Brenchley Center will meet on the Wednesday mic re pon e to the call in our hearts to belong evening "nearest the full moon." Bedfordshire to one another and to do in common things of speaks of a Party arranged to entertain refugee Beauty. There ha never been a greater call from variou part of Europe and how they for it than there is today. found themselves partnering Austrians, Czecho­ Lucv MADEmA WrNG slovakians, Belgian , Poles and Germans. 16 THE COUNTRY DANCER Imogene Hoi t is in Somerset for twelve the e melodic , o truly an embodiment of month , as one of six Mu ic Travell ers cnt by the history and e sence of the people. the Pilgrim Trust into the country ide of Eng­ This is even more vital when these song are land to help in amateur mu ic-making, with in­ handed down in the properly traditional man­ truction to "Do what you want, and do it in ner, that i orally. For thus the stamp of many whatever way you like." After describing some individuals become impressed upon the ong, of her experience Mi s Hoi t remarks, "Some­ in words a nd air, and it is thereby kept liv:ng how the E.F.D.S. nearly alway ems to be and growing. mixed up in thi busine s of 'helping in the work We in the United State fortunately till have for the encouragement and entertainment of the a store-hou e of this traditionally pre erve"d people in dark and dangerous times. ' Perhaps mu ic among the people of the Southern it is the large number of familiar tunes or the mountains, and, a we know, Mr. Cecil Sharp fair number of familiar faces . .. It is one more and hi succc sor have happily availed them­ small reminder, if any were needed, that Cecil elves of it trca ur , to our great enrichment. Sharp H ou c goe on all the time." To most of u , however, this tradi tional in­ The good news ha been received that the heritance has ncce sarily been enjoyed only by salvage and demolition expert have decided econd-hand means through transcriber , where that the wa ll s and foundation of Cecil Sharp by notation it become a fixed instead of a fluid H ou e are afe. Builders arc at work "making art. But if M ahomet cannot go to the mountain, good the roof of the M a in H all, clearing the sometime the mountain doe come to M aho­ debri and working hard to make the building met ; and so it did to the Bo ton Center of the waterti ght to prevent further deterioration." Country D ance Society on Sunday, November The Society hope that before long the offi ce 24, 1940, a t its first mu ical meeting of the will be re-establi hed in the ba cmcnt. Compen­ year, when the two Ritchie isters, M r . U na sati on will be obtained from the British Gov­ Ritchi e Yahkub and Mi J eanne Ritchie, ernment for the actual damage done but much from Pine Mountain in K entucky, entertained more will be needed in order to make the a t the H eadquarters the members of the Society building a beautiful a it wa before. A R ccon- and their fri ends, with folk ong handed down truction lund, for usc when the right time through generations of the Ritchie famil y. comes, ha been opened. We are hoping that They ang unaccompani ed, with a ll the im­ orne of our National and Center members may plicity of those accu tamed to expressing them­ have idea concerning the part of our American elves in natural mu ic, responding quickly to Society in thi work. Plea e write and tell us to the changing mood of the song with genuine about them. M. G. feeling for the dramatic. The songs themselves ranged from the sad and tragic to the amorous and humorous and, AUTUMN MUSICAL MEETING while sometime crude, were never vulgar. For the humor were of the arne naive ort a that IN BOSTON in orne of the medieval my tcry pl ay , robust and un-subtle-in a word, of the folk. JNr ecent year there ha been a great and To round out the delightful afternoon, after increasing interest in the folk arts of the general inging under the direction of Mis United States and other countries. The Coun­ Evelyn K. Wells accompanied by Mi s Alice try D ance Society i a leading and significant Main, colored moving picture of last sum­ factor in this revival, not only pleasurably but mer's Long Pond Camp were shown by tfis artisti cally. The Engli h and American dance Anna E. Holman. These gave many of u in the arc, of course, only one phase of this ancient audience a chance to "see ourselves a others art. The music, instrumental and vocal, is an ee us" and showed the variety, entertainment, important and inherent part of this movement and beauty of the Country Dance Society Sum­ and is being recognized as such by profes ional mer School. The fade-out scene of flaming sky, and lay musicians alike.