John Playford
John Playford (* 1623 in Norwich , † 1686 in London ) was an English music publisher.
In 1651, Playford published the first collection of social dances common in bourgeois circles at the time, with notes and dance descriptions. This first booklet, entitled The English Dancing Master, was so successful that a total of 18 editions appeared up to 1728 - with around nine hundred dances and the corresponding dance descriptions. The underlying melodies were partly very old song melodies, which were often used in Playford's arrangements well into the 19th century.
Some of these dances were published in 1950 by Georg Götsch together with Rolf Gardiner in the book Alte Englische Kontratänze . Georg Götsch initiated the Musische Gesellschaft and, from 1952, helped shape the focus on Fürsteneck Castle when it was founded . Both institutions maintain the Playford dances to this day.
Music samples
Discography (selection)
- John Playford's Popular Tunes. The Broadside Band. AmonRa, 1986.
- English Country Dances. From Playford's Dancing Master 1651-1703. The Broadside Band. Saydisc, 1991.
- Country Capers. Music from Playford's The English Dancing Master. The New York Renaissance Band. Arabesque, 1999.
- Nobodys Jig . Les Witches, Odile Edouard (violin). Alpha, 2002/2008.
- English Country Dances . The Harp Consort, Andrew Lawrence-King (lead). HMF, 2002.
- Mr. Playford's English Dancing Master . Lautten Compagney, Wolfgang Katschner (lead). Berlin, 2005.
- Oranges & Lemons . The Playfords. Coviello, 2006.
Web links
- Works by and about John Playford in the catalog of the German National Library
- Stages of early music
- Musische Gesellschaft eV
- Sheet music and audio files by John Playford in the International Music Score Library Project
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Playford, John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English music publisher |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1623 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Norwich |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1686 |
| Place of death | London |