 The Almain in Britain, c.1549 - c.1675, a dance manual from manuscript sources.
Author: Payne, Ian Published: 2003 This complete scholarly edition of the collection of manuscript choreographies associated with the Inns of Court is the first full-length study of these sources to be published. It offers practical reconstructions of the dances and provides a selection of musical settings arranged for four-part instrumental ensemble or keyboard. Part One centres on the manuscript sources which transmit the Almain, and on the trends that shaped its evolution in Britain. In viewing the Almain within its broader historical context, Ian Payne throws new light on the dance, arguing that it owes a greater debt to the English country dance than has hitherto been acknowledged. The second part of the book focuses on the dances themselves: the steps are described in detail and reconstructions provided for the nine Almains and some of the other measures included in the manuscripts. Part Three comprises a complete critical edition of the manuscripts. | 
