Musical Offerings, Fall 2017

Musical Offerings ⦁ 2017 ⦁ Volume 8 ⦁ Number 2 65 Musical Offerings , vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 65–79. ISSN 2330-8206 (print); ISSN 2167-3799 (online); © 2017, Adam P. Rinehart, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ) French Society Abroad: The Popularization of French Dance throughout Europe, 1600–1750 Adam P. Rinehart Cedarville University historical and current truth: humans seek popularity, beauty, recognition, and societal success. These goals are pursued in various ways, including fashion, art, language, culture, education, and employment. Specifically, then, how does art influence the ways in which people seek recognition? By today’s standards, this question may be judged in light of contemporary music, modern art, or other forms of modern expression. However, trends of society differ significantly from culture to culture. Consequently, for the trends of one society to permeate another, they must be substantial indeed. In the mid- seventeenth century, King Louis XIV prompted a movement in French society that significantly influenced other societies throughout Europe. This “movement” was literal—the movement of French dance. King Louis XIV highlighted the French ideals of sophistication, prestige, and high status by promoting the development of French court and ballroom dances. These elegant dances served as examples of the beauty of French society and simultaneously communicated France’s political power. The qualities of French elegance and power gained recognition throughout Europe and influenced other societies to attain comparable qualities. In his treatise on opera written in 1755, Italian writer Francesco Algarotti states that “the French are the acknowledged masters in this school of the imitative arts [dance], nor ought any other nation to be ashamed to take lessons from them in this article of polite accomplishment.” 1 In the years which followed the rule of King Louis XIV, French dance continued to influence other countries through the migration of dancing masters and dance notation writers, as well as through the involvement of several prominent European composers. These factors made possible the incredible movement of French dance abroad. Documentary 1 Jeffrey Giles, “Dance and the French Enlightenment,” Dance Chronicle 4, no. 3 (1980): 260, do i: 10.1080/01472528008568805 . A