Recommended Recordings:

Below are listed our “top 10” recommended dance CDs.  Since I couldn’t narrow them down that far, I cheated and listed our top 10 sources (many with two or three CDs).  Even so, I ended up with a dozen sources.  We hope you won’t mind the extras.  We have tried to include all the information we could to help people acquire these CDs.  Many are available from musicians and merchants in the SCA, others are available commercially.
 

1.  Jouissance:

• Courtly Dances of Western Europe 1450-1650

(Period dance music performed by SCA musicians.  We use this for Amoroso, Petit Riens, Casulle La Novelle, Washerwoman's Branle, and Ballo del Fiore.  Highly recommended)
• Dances From The Inns of Court

(English dance music from 1570+ performed by SCA musicians.  We use this for our Old Measures.  Companion pamphlets are available for both CDs.  Highly recommended)

Peter Durham
1436 W Lake Sammamish Pkwy SE
Bellevue WA 98008-5218

The Inns of Court is also available from
Eric Praetzel email:  praetzel@sca.uwaterloo.ca

2.  Letter of Dance (miscellaneous performers):

• Tape of Dance 2
• Tape of Dance 3
• Tape of Dance 4

(Old and new recordings by SCA musicians for SCA dances, including all dances discussed in the first few years of The Letter of Dance newsletter.  We use TOD4 for Verceppe, TOD3 for The Pinwheel, and all three when we want to travel light.  Highly recommended.  Note that Tape of Dance 1 has not been remastered onto CD; however, all tracks from this volume appear on TOD2 and TOD3.  Eric is currently compiling music for TOD 5 projected for the middle of 2002.)

Eric Praetzel
email:  dancer@sca.uwaterloo.ca
or
Bill Street Jr.
908 Reedwood Lane
Birmingham, AL  35235

3.  Accademia Viscontea I Musicanti:

• Mesura Et Arte Del Danzare (Balli italiani del quatrocento)

Ducale CDL 002
(Probably our single most favorite 15th c. Italian CD.  We use this for Gioioso in Tré/Rostiboli Gioioso, Leoncello Vecchio, and Petit Riens.  Highly recommended, but currently hard to find)

Ducale snc
via per Cadrezzate 6
21020 Brebbia
Italy
Tel: 0332 771771
Fax: 0332 771047
email: ducale@skylink.it

4.  New York Renaissance Band

• Arbeau: Orchésography

Arabesque Z6514
(Looks like all of Arbeau, although Buffens, for instance, is way too short.  We use this for the basic Branle Suite, Candlestick Branle, Peas Branle, Belle Qui Pavan and Galliard, and sometimes other Arbeau dances.  Highly recommended)
• Country Capers

Arabesque Z6520
(A number of dances all from 1st edition Playford.  We use this for Fine Companion, Gathering Peascods, Heart's Ease, Jenny Pluck Pears, a brisk Rufty Tufty, and Upon A Summer's Day.)

5.  Broadside Band:

• Danses Populaires Français

harmonia mundi HMC 901152
(Lots of Arbeau plus some 1651 Playford.  We use this for the Cassandra/Pinagay/Charlotte/de Guerre Branle Suite, Branle Official, a tourdion, Grimstock, and a slower Rufty Tufty.  Highly recommended)
• Il Ballarino:  Italian Dances c.1600

(16th c. Italian dances including Allegrezza D’Amore, a four verse Dolce Amoroso Fuoco, Il Canario, and Ballo del Fiore)

6.  Musica Subterranea:

• Cornucopia
• Musica Subterranea

(SCA dances performed by SCA musicians for SCA dancers, about half non-period.  We use Cornucopia for Quen Quer Que and Oringes and Lemmons.)

Susan Rati
9483 Sandpiper West Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46268

7.  The Companions of St. Cecilia:

• The Companions of St. Cecilia, Volume 1
• The Companions of St. Cecilia, Volume 2

(SCA dances performed by SCA musicians, but no 16th c. Italian.  We use Vol. 1 for the Turkish Branle and Sellinger's Round.  We use Vol. 2 for Geolsia.)

Contact:  M. Gregory
email:  lindahl@pbm.com
or
Eric Praetzel
email:  praetzel@sca.uwaterloo.ca

8.  Ferrara Ensemble:

• Forse Che Sí, Forse Che No (Musique de Danse du Quattrocento)

Fonti Musicali fmd 182
(We use this for Anello, and the Bazzadanza have strong tenors, but some of the tracks have highly ornamented orchestrations that are very hard to follow, and some of the arrangements do not match our recreations of the dances.  In addition, there is an annoyingly loud snare drum on several tracks.)

9.  Cumberland Collegium:

Why Not Dance?
(Two 15th c. Italian dances, a branle, two Almans, Playford, and some Out of Period dances.  We use use this for Black Nagg.)

cadwal@ix.netcom.com
http://pwl.netcom.com/~cadwal/saltare/index.htm (apparently stale)

10.  Musicians Guild of Loch Salann:

• Music for Dancing Fools

(We use this for Horses Branle.  It also has a slow Belle Qui, Gathering Peascods, Jenny Pluck Pears, 4 verse Sellinger’s Round, and Upon A Summer’s Day)

Mary Amanda Fairchild
(801) 485-0313

Also:  La Maurache (Instruments médiévaux et voix)

• La Danse A La Cour des Ducs de Bourgogne

Arion ARN 68052
(We use this for Branle d'Ecosse.  It also has Jouyssance Vous Donnerai, a very slow Amoroso, a strange Branle Charlotte, and a nice La Spagne plus songs and dances without extant choreographies.)

Bonus:  Calliope

• Dances (A Renaissance Revel)

Nonesuch 9 89039-2
(Galliards and a suite of 3 La Spagnas - our Lauro version, by Ebreo, performed with a good tenor.  We do not actually use this for practice, but this is one of my old favorites and is recommended by M. Justin.)

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