Graceful Dance

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The Worlds of Gilbert and Sullivan

Alfred Cellier's beautiful 'Graceful Dance' from the very successful show Dorothy, transports us back into Jane Austen's time when grace and manners dictated the pace of life in more ways than one. Dorothy's success very nearly put G&S out of business, so shocked were they by its triumph. And Alfred Cellier was one of Arthur Sullivan's best friends through boyhood and as part of the Savoy team. Dorothy spawned one of the biggest Hit (pop!) songs of the era, but more of that anon. Let's just look back to the era of Dorothy for a moment.

This story was set in the period of Jane Austen. Jane was born in the Rectory at Steventon, in 1775. The family then moved to Bath and thence to Southampton Hampshire. The sixth child of seven, she died of Addison's disease at the age of 42 and was buried in Winchester Cathedral in 1817. A quiet, reserved, literary genius, she wrote several novels, her most successful being:

Sense and Sensibility (1811)

Pride and Prejudice (1813)

Mansfield Park (1814)

Emma (1816)

Northanger Abbey (written earlier but not published till 1818)

Persuasion (published posthumously 1818)

Imagine yourself for a moment in one of Jane Austen's novels (or in her thinking?) as you listen to Alfred's music . . .

   "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can". Chapter 48 of Mansfield Park (1814).

     "Oh! it is only a novel! . . . only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda:' or, in short, only some work in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour are conveyed to the world in the best chosen language". Chapter 5 of Northanger Abbey (1818).

    "My idea of good company, Mr Elliot, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation: that is what I call good company.' 'You are mistaken,' said he gently, 'that is not good company, that is the best.'" Chapter 16 of Persuasion (1818).¹

On the other hand can't you smell the bouquets of the Viennese Woods and the Danube in the music? There is surely a touch of the Strausses in this piece. They were, after all the rage of Europe at the time!

Wherever Alfred got his inspiration, it is a superbly crafted dance in its question and answer sequences, from its Introduction and Cadenza to concluding Coda. Don't you also feel the music contains a soupcon of nostalgia (or even yearning?) for times past? What sort of dance is it? Discuss. Whatever sort it was (is?) choreograph it yourself and enjoy the movement it engenders.

Or just enjoy listening to Alfred's gorgeous music . . .

Click (Peasants' Dance) LHS to proceed . . .

1. Footnote: For further information about Jane Austen, see MusicSmiles bibliography. Or, better still read the books. Return to Story

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