First set of the favorite French quadrilles
by Gow, Nathaniel

Full title: First set of the favorite French quadrilles as performed by Mr Gow and his band at the Queen's Assembly in George Street rooms, the 20th January 1817. With their proper figures as danced at Mr Smart's Academy 95 Princes Street.

Publisher: Edinburgh: Purdie

Printer: Robert Purdie

Date: [1817]

Description:

The end of the Napoleonic Wars (Battle of Waterloo,18 June, 1815), led to a surge of enthusiasm for French dances in Britain. In London, S. Chappell, James Paine and Edward Payne seem to have kicked off the trend, closely followed by John Gow. His brother Nathaniel simultaneously published quadrilles in Edinburgh from 1817, starting with two different 'First sets' for assemblies on 20th January and 11th March 1817, and continuing with various similar collections until ca.1828.
Meanwhile in London, John published six 'favorite' sets of quadrilles, ca.1818-23; all contained 'Scotch airs', as did his First set of favorite Scotch quadrilles (1823), and two sets of Caledonian quadrilles (published in London by Leoni Lee ca 1844).

Notes:

Gow has included all but one of the dances from Edward Payne's Quadrilles (London, c.1815), but with Gow's own choice of tunes.

Biographical info: Niel Gow (1727-1807), father of the famous Gow family, lived in Inver near Dunkeld. (Glen 2, viii-xiv; Grove; Alburger; Murdoch, 41-48) Gow's fourth son Nathaniel (1763-1831), violinist and Edinburgh publisher, was perhaps the most famous of the siblings; but his brothers William, John and Andrew also traded in music (John and Andrew in London). Nathaniel's son, Niel Junr., lived 1795-1823.

Location(s):

GB-En
GB-Gu
GB-Lbl (and others)

Digitised items

This source has not been digitised.