It always drives me nuts to hear dance tunes in movies and not know or remember what they’re called. It’s also hard to find lists of titles online except for the better known movies like “Pride and Prejudice.” So after doing a little research I’ve come up with a basic dance list for some of my favorite period movies with tunes I know. Corrections and additions welcome!
Dances in Northanger Abbey(2007):
Recordings from the Pemberly Players by Fain Music.
Pt. 2 has Lord Byron’s Maggot; Pt. 3 Childgrove; Pt. 4 Upon a Summer’s Day; Pt. 5 Lord Byron’s Maggot again; Pt. 8 The Comical Fellow and the Touchstone.
Mansfield Park(2007) has the tune “Meryton Townhall” which is also in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, so I’m not sure if this tune was composed in 2005 or is based on an original ECD tune.
Dances in Wives and Daughters(1999):
Episode 2 has the Easter Charity Ball opens at 45 minutes with Soldier’s Joy and Speed the Plough, and goes on to a tune called “The Breast Knot.” They then go onto a very slow Trip to Paris and Northdown Waltz. Ep. 3 has flashbacks for Cynthia that includes Juice of Barley and Hole in the Wall. Ep. 4 has Molly dancing a waltz at the Great House.
Dances in Emma(1995 with Kate Beckinsdale)
The Ball: Jack’s Maggot, Hole in the Wall, Juice of Barley and Kelsterne Gardens. The ending sequence has “Haste to the Wedding” and “Mr. Isaac’s Maggot.”
“Felicity: An American Girl Adventure” plays a recording of Yellow Stockings under the name of the Virginia Reel(cringe) and when Ben can’t hack it Annabelle leaves the set. Big no-no!
BBC’s 2001 version of “Lorna Doone” has several great dance bits. “Newcastle” in the beginning, and dancing at Annie’s wedding scene, with the tune “Haste to the Wedding.”
“Becoming Jane”(2007) has the requisite showing of “Hole in the Wall”(I guess it’s one of those dances that can be contrived to look steamy).
“Miss Austen Regrets”(2008) has a circle dance to an Irish tune and a waltz.
Another fun bit to watch is “Dancing with General Washington” produced by Mount Vernon, and “Pride and Prejudice: Having a Ball.” Both very interesting resources on ECD history.
A Christmas Carol
Film adaptations of “A Christmas Carol” are many, and most of them have the dance scene of Fezziwig’s Ball. Since the dance “Roger de Coverly” is specifically mentioned in the book, several of the films have the tune and some variation of the dance. Several are available to watch on youtube- including several short silent versions.
1951 has the actual Roger de Coverly tune and dance, at 28 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VszNMtgbmJU
1970 has a very exuberant Fezziwig Ball in musical style.
1977 has the correct tune.
1984 has a sort of hornpipe dance as well as the Roger de Coverly tune.
1999 has Patrick Stewart as Scrooge and very dramatically dressed Fezziwigs. There’s a dance that’s not the de Coverly, but has a hey for four in it! There’s also a song/dance and waltz. All in all, a very amusing adaptation.
2009 with Jim Carey is actually the only animated version I’ve watched, and I really enjoy it. While the animated dance scenes are way past believable, the tune for the de Coverly is correct, though it changes conveniently to a waltz at the romantic moment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZAG-yBjFXQ