Patronella ~ MS3860

Petronella ~ Contra Petronella ~ Contra Variants Petronella ~ Anderson Patronella ~ MS3860 Petronella ~ Lowes Petronelle ~ Improper Grand Petronelle ~ Quadrille Petronelle ~ Quadrille Petronella ~ variants Petronella

The National Library of Scotland has a manuscript labeled MS 3860 which contains an early version of Petronella. The manuscript has sections with several dates (between 1818, and 1849), a comment in the Country Dance section suggests that it was written between 1820 and 1830. If it were written before "The Ball-Room" was published in 1827 then this is the earliest description of Petronella that I'm aware of. But not only does it contain a description of the dance with a list of figures, but it also contains instructions on how to do the those figures and this last is rare.

The dance is titled "Patronella" in the manuscript.

1 G. and 1 L. turn to their right and set four times P. 135	8b
Down the middle, up again and leave off	8b
Poussette with top Cu.	8b
In all	24 b

Each of the figures is defined in the manuscript: the first (the petronella figure), second (lead down, up and leave off), and third (poussette).

Although the petronella figure is defined, the definition isn't clear, and it's unexpected.

The gentleman turns + sets between the bottom Cu: + his Partner sets opposite to him. 2b

Dancers are supposed to turn and set in two bars. Every other description of the petronella figure has a two bar petronella turn, and two bars of setting (or, in the US, the opposite: 2 bars of setting, 2 bars of turning), but here we have two bars to do both. Or maybe 1 bar to turn, and 1 bar to do half a set? Nor do we know how they turn. The Lowes, in ~1830, simply have the dancers chasséing into the new place, the only turn being that needed to keep facing in as they move right. Or perhaps the dancers spin while moving into place, as in American Contra Dance?

Down the middle, up again and leave off turns out to mean: down the middle, up to 2nd place (as 2s move up). Also, the man is said to hold his partner's right hand in his left (so it's holding near hands, not right hand in right).

The Poussette is interesting. It isn't the modern Scottish poussette, nor is it the old Playford "draw" figure. Instead both couples take hands near the center line, then each couple's center moves in a circle about the center of the minor set, while each couple orbits about its own center point (rather like a moon orbiting a planet orbiting a star). Every time the couple as a whole moves 90° about the center of the minor set, then each dancer moves 180° about its couple's center. This is done four times until everyone is back where they started.

MS 3860 says in two places that a Sauteuse Waltzing step should be used for this figure, but off to the right in faint ink it gives a different set of steps which do not look like waltzing steps to me. These finish by having the dancers do a pirouette on the final bar.

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