This is the sixth and last in a series of six posts covering the six figures of the Mid Lothians, a set of quadrilles from the 1820s. Previous posts: The first figure; background information; and sources, second figure, third figure, fourth figure, fifth figure.
The sixth and final figure of the Mid Lothians is set to a combination of two similar Jacobite tunes, "Lewie Gordon" and "Over the Hills". My ear isn't sophisticated enough to sort through Evans' arrangement and figure out which (or whether) individual strains are drawn from each tune. Lewie Gordon was a son of the Duke of Gordon who fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie and was exiled after Culloden. "Over the Hills", also known as "O'er the Hills and Far Away" and "Over the Seas and far away", has a complex history and may have originally been from England. It is familar to many today as the theme music for the Sharpe television series based on the Bernard Cornwell novels about a British rifleman during the Napoleonic Wars.
Lyrics and background on each tune as well as MIDI files for listening may be found at Christian Souchon's collection of Jacobite songs; there are individual pages for both "Lewie Gordon" and "O'er the Hills". Note that all Souchon's pages play music immediately upon opening! More lyrics for "O'er the Hills" may be found on the song's page at The Compleat Sean Bean, a Sean Bean (Sharpe in the television series) fan site created by writer Winona Kent.
Evans arrangement is in three strains (ABC) of eight, sixteen, and eight bars respectively. With no indication on the sheet music of where the (thirty-two bars of) figures begin, a simple repeat structure of A (BCAx4) seems most likely.
The instructions for the figures are given on the sheet music as follows:
En avant deux et en arriere,chassez,dechassez,chassez croisè chaque Cavalier avec sa Dame à gauche et tour de mains avec sa Dame suivante,retournez à vos places tour de mains avec vos Dames,tous les 8 en avant et en arrière et allemande avec vos Dames.
Opposite Lady and Gent:advance,retire,chasse to the right and left,each Gent chasse croise with the Lady on His left and turn the next Lady with both hands,back again and turn Partners,all 8 advance to the centre,retire and allemande to places with your partners..
The spacing and punctuation above are as in the original except that I am unable to reproduce the accent aigu that appears, incorrectly, over the third r in the first arriere, where it ought to be over the first e. The instructions in Pollock's and Whale's books are the same other than minor variations in spelling and punctuation.
The sixth figure, though not as flashy (or long) as the fourth, is a typical finale figure with most moves for all eight dancers and a different take on the usual chassé-croisé figure. The reconstruction is straightforward. I have left some of the French terms in since the English equivalents are unclear or (for allemande) nonexistent:
Mid Lothians, Figure 6 (8b introduction + 32bx4)
4b First lady and opposite gentleman forward and back
4b Same two chasse right and left (chassez-dechassez) (discussion of this figure)
8b Chassé-croisé at corners, then turn the person one meets (one's original opposite)
8b Chassé-croisé back, then turn partners
4b All eight forward and back
4b Allemande with partners
The figure is then repeated three times, with the head ladies setting to the second gentleman, then the side ladies setting to the third and then to the fourth.
Reconstruction issues
1.The chassé-croisé sequences are not the full chassez-balancez-dechassez-balancez sequence for which the term is often applied; instead of setting, the chassez-dechassez is broken up by two-hand turns and is done with one's corner rather than one's partner. This reverses the usual directions: the gentlemen move to the left first and the ladies to the right, in front of the gentlemen.
2. The allemande, according to Thomas Wilson in his Quadrille and Cotillion Panorama (1816, second edition 1822) "Is performed by the Lady and Gentleman, each crossing their hands behind them--the Gentleman with his right and left hands taking the right and left hands of the Lady, facing different ways, and moving round in a complete Circle." This is easier to perform than to explain. The two dancers should approach as if linking right elbows, allowing their right hands to slide behind their partners' backs, then tuck their left hands behind their own backs to take their partners' right hands. Move forward in a circle, breaking apart on the third chassé to perform the jeté-assemblé separately.
Steps
Advance and retire with any suitable sequence of steps
Chasse right and left (chassez-dechassez) with any suitable sequence of steps
Chassé-croisé with any of the chassez-dechassez sequences (gentlemen reversing the sequences to move left first)
Two-hand turns with three chassé; jeté; assemblé
Allemande with three chassé; jeté; assemblé
Special thanks to Stanislav Petrov for sending me the link to The Compleat Sean Bean and thus tipping me off about the song's use in the Sharpe television series!
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