Country: Denmark
Type: set dance
Formation: any number of couples facing each other in a quadrille or an open (double) circle, M facing out of circle, W facing in.
Steps: chassé-croisé (change step+pas de basque),
pas de rigaudon,
gangtrin (walk).
Sheet music:
Landrin, M./ nr 3 'le carillon d'un Ker que" in: 5 Potpourri francois des
Contre-Danse Ancienne. Paris: ca 1760.
[The tune is the Flemish/French tune now known as 'Le carillon de Dunkirque' or
'The chimes of Dunkirk'.]
Recordings:
Corrette, Michel et al Pieces pour la Vielle ou Musette, Flute et Basse Continue (2002 Hungaroton Records Ltd.)
[YouTube];
Gloucester Hornpipe & Clog Society Airs from who knows where (1995 Gloucester Hornpipe & Clog Society)
[YouTube];
Shenanigans Children's dances of Terra del Zur, Vol. 1 (1994 Shenanigans) [YouTube].
| Bars | Part | Dance progression: |
| 1-2 | (a) | 1. Quatres en avant les 4 faces
My interpretation: all advance 4 walking steps, where in this case 'all' could be interpreted as 'all couples', or as head couples, or as all W or all M. See also '4' below. |
| 3-8 | 2. Chassé-croisé [illegible] rigodon et avos places
My interpretation: dance a chassé-croisé (3-4), followed by pas de rigaudon (5-6), and retire to place (7-8). |
|
| 9-16 | (b) | 3. Frapé 3 fois des pied apres des main en moulinet en ronde ét avos places
My interpretation: all couples stamp 3 times (9-10). Repeat stamps or substitute 3 claps (11-12). Take 2-hand/waltz/polska hold with partner and turn eg CW on the spot (13-16), with eg either buzz steps or step-hops. |
| 17-20 | My interpretation: While no explicit instructions are given covering these notes, this would appear to either an opportunity to either (a) take leave of, ie curtsey/bow to, current partner and M to advance to next W (=new partner) in LOD (ie CCW) in the set, or (b) turn CCW, and then M advance quickly to next W (=new partner) in LOD (ie CCW) in the set. | |
| 21-28, 9-20 | 4. Contre partie dutout pour les 4 autres.
My interpretation: either all couples/side couples/M or W repeat (a), ie those who did not dance part (a) earlier, and all couples continue with (b), [Repeat from (a) as desired.] |
See video Le carillon as danced in Bretagne in 1992.
Provenance: Coulon notes "Le carillon de Dunkerque...is a French dance of the olden time, and is the merriest and noisiest of all country dances." Howe
replicates Coulon word for word.
The Sonny Watson's streetswing.com web site
attributes, without citing sources, composition of the tune to the 1440s.
The music and basic figures appear now in a plethora of children's dances, many of which can be found on YouTube variously
under 'Carillon de Dunkerque' or 'Chimes of Dunkirk'. It occurs in Denmark as
Klapfinale aka Gedebukketyv.
The above are my interpretations of bar counts, designated active couples, holds and steps - other interpretations are of course possible.
Source: Landrin, M./ nr 3 "le carillon d'un Ker que" in: 5 Potpourri francois des Contre-Danse Ancienne.
Paris: ca 1760.
See also:
-- Coulon, [Eugène]/ Coulon's hand-book, containing
all the last new and fashionable dances. 3rd ed. London: Jullien & Co., c. 1860. pp.85-86.
-- Howe, Elias/ American dancing master, and ball-room prompter,
containing about five hundred dances. Boston: Elias Howe, 1862. p.95.
-- additional references in Library of Dance/ Browse vintage dance manuals.
Translation: Laine Ruus, Oakville, 2023-04-13.
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