To the tune of “An Italian Rant”, from the music supplement to the 3rd edition of the Dancing Master, 1657. No dance was written to it at the time. It's a cracking, powerful tune that deserves to be danced to!
The tune has a 4-bar A section and a 10-bar B. It's worth pointing out the extra bars in the B part.
The final progression works well in a Sicillian circle, but the dance can equally well be done in a longways set.
There's a story behind the name. Daisy and I were kindly being put up in a B&B by Chippenham Folk Festival as I was calling. The B&B owners had a parrot that they kept just outside the window of the room we were in, which woke us up very loudly at dawn every morning – funny afterwards but at the time I really needed some sleep!
| A1 (4) | Side right with contrary (into line siding). |
| A2 (4) | Back-to-back with contrary. |
| B1 (10) | Right hand turn 1¼, leaving women facing away from each other in the middle of a line of 4 (4) All set right and left to contrary (2) Half a hey, starting passing contrary right shoulders, finishing next to them in a circle of 4 with the man on the left (4). |
| B2 (10) | Hands 4 slip to the left all the way (4) Set to partner across the set (2) Face away from the other couple and take promenade hold with partner: wheel round to the left halfway to face along the direction of travel of the dance (1C down and 2C up if in a longways set) and pass the other couple (men passing left shoulders) to meet another couple (4). |
T:Italian Rant, An
M:C
L:1/8
B:Playford, Dancing Master,Supplement to 3rd Ed.,1657
H:1657.
Z:Chris Partington <www.cpartington.plus>
K:Gm
"Gm"GABcd2d2|"Cm"e2dc"Gm"d2d2|"Cm"c2cd"Gm"B2Bc|"D7"AGAB"Gm"G2G2:|
|:"Gm"g2gg"F"f2ff|"C"=edef"Gm"d2d2|"Gm"d=efd"Cm"_e2d2|"F"c3d"Bb"B2B2|"Bb"BcdB"F"c2A2|
"F"ABcA"Eb"B2G2|"Gm"GABcd2d2|"Cm"e2dc"Gm"d2d2|"Cm"c2cd"Gm"B2Bc|"D7"AGAB"Gm"G2G2:|