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Six English Quadrilles for Pianoforte, Op. 49
No. 1 in A Major
No. 2 in D Major
No. 3 in G Major
No. 4 in D Minor
No. 5 in C Major
No. 6 in F Major
These quadrilles were composed in November and December of 2025, using tunes from
my old popular song sketch books. It seemed a good way to make use of this material and
preserve it in some form. The quadrille is a structure that laps up short song melodies,
although work is needed to ensure that flow is maintained in this format. Tempos are
generally on the fast side, so that also requires rhythmic revisions at times. I have always
been fond of irregular phrase lengths, but these need to be revised to fit the regular dance
patterns of the quadrilles, which relies on 8-bar themes. An English quadrille contains five
dances (the Viennese quadrille has six). The upper-case letters refer to the order of the
eight-bar themes that constitute the melody of each dance.
1. Pantalon 2/4 or 6/8 (ABACA)
2. Été 2/4 (ABBA)
3. Poule 6/8 (two-bar introduction, then ABACABA)
4. Pastourelle 2/4 (ABCBA)
5. Finale 2/4 (two-bar introduction, then AABBAA)
Details
Todmorden
United Kingdom