"Money Musk" (), alternatively "Monymusk" or other variations, is a contra dance first published in 1786. It was named after a 1776

strathspey Strathspey may refer to one of the following: * Strathspey, Scotland, an area in the Highlands of Scotland * Strathspey Camanachd Strathspey Camanachd is a shinty club based in Grantown-on-Spey, Strathspey, Scotland, currently competing in the ...

Daniel Dow Daniel Dow (1732 – 1783) was a traditional Scottish fiddler, composer, teacher and concert organizer and one of the first musicians to publish music specifically for bagpipes. He is credited as both Daniel and Donald, both acceptable translatio ...

which is played to accompany it, which itself was named after the

House of Monymusk The House of Monymusk is located on the outskirts of the Scottish village of Monymusk, in the Marr region of Aberdeenshire. The house is located near the River Don, which is known for its spectacular trout-fishing. The village, which history da ...

baronial estate. The dance features a central theme of reoriented lines, and is regarded as moderately difficult. It is still widely danced today, and is considered a traditional "chestnut".

Dance

The dance is done in triple minor, proper

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

(the figures are done within subsets of three couples, with all gents beginning on the right and all ladies beginning on the left). In its most common modern form, it consists of three parts, which are repeated a number of times. In the A part, the active couple (the couple closest to the band) does a right-hand allemande once and a half around. They then go down the outside of the set one place and rejoin, taking hands in lines of three. The lines go forward and back. In the B part, the active couple does another right-hand allemande three quarters around and then falls back, so that the gent is facing down the hall between the second couple and the lady is facing up the hall between the third couple. The lines take hands and go forward and back. The active couple then does a final right-hand allemande three quarters around, returning the set to a proper formation, but progressed one place down. In the C part, the top two couples pass through the set (walking to each other's places, passing by the right shoulder) and then turn as a pair (the dancer on the right walks forward and the one on the left walks backward, such that they take each other's place and end facing inward), both without touching. At the end of the C part, the active couple has exchanged places with the second couple. The dance resumes with the active couple dancing the figures with the next two couples in the set.

Variations

Many variations of the dance exist, including a Scottish country dance.

History

The dance was first published in 1786. The name derives from the

, a baronial estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The estate's name came from the Gaelic , meaning "nasty, filthy bog". After initial publication, it spread rapidly, including to North America by 1792. In the 19th century, the dance was done using a 32-bar sequence. Variations solidified into a common form by the middle of that century. Beginning at some point (possibly the 1870s, according to

Ralph Page Ralph George Page (January 28, 1903 – February 21, 1985) was an American contra dance caller. He was influential in spreading it from New Hampshire to the rest of the United States and other countries, and was recognized as an authority o ...

), it was gradually changed to a 24-bar sequence, requiring the figures to be danced more rapidly and the phrasing to change. Particularly, the forward and back was compressed from eight beats to four, which has led to disagreement about whether it should be a balance. The dance appeared in

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...

's ''Good Morning'' (1926). It was danced continuously throughout the 20th century, including in the second folk revival in the 1960s, and became regarded as a traditional "chestnut" dance. In 2009, a "bring back Money Musk" campaign to revive the dance was begun. On March 14 of that year, it was danced quasi-simultaneously by more than 1300 dancers in 22 locations across four countries. It has seen more active use since.

Music

\version "2.18.2" << << \new Staff >> >> \layout \midi Monymusk music

The music for "Money Musk" is a 1776 tune of the same name by Scottish composer

, published in 1780 as "Sir Archibald Grant of Moniemusk's Reel". It was originally a

, a type of

dance tune Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...

in time slightly slower than a reel. The tune appeared frequently in nineteenth-century tunebooks. Over time, it spread to other parts of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

and North America, adopting elements of local styles. In the 24-beat reel version of the tune used for the modern dance, the A and B parts are not repeated and a new C part is added. It is regarded as difficult to play. Unusually for contra dances, the tune and dance have become closely associated, and it is almost always danced to the traditional tune. It is traditional for dancers to shout the name of the dance when the music starts.

Reception

Both the tune and the dance have been well-received and have been enduringly popular.

described "Money Musk" as the most famous of all New England dances. In ''Cracking Chestnuts'', David Smukler writes that the dance is "'crooked' (unusual in its metric or rhythmic structure), hypnotic, and manages successfully to remain both uncluttered and surprising". He notes that its central theme is reorientation, as it involves lines both along the sides of the set and facing up and down the dance hall. The dance is regarded as moderately difficult. Smukler wrote of the tune that it "bristles with irrepressible excitement". It allegedly appeared on a dance card at Abraham Lincoln's inaugural ball. A version arranged by Nicholas Britell and performed by

Tim Fain __FORCETOC__ Tim Fain is an Americans, American violinist, best known for his performances in the movie ''Black Swan (film), Black Swan'' and his work with American composer Philip Glass. Early life and education A native of Santa Monica, Califo ...

was used in the soundtrack for the 2013 biographical drama ''

12 Years a Slave ''Twelve Years a Slave'' is an 1853 memoir and slave narrative by American Solomon Northup as told to and written by David Wilson. Northup, a black man who was born free in New York state, details himself being tricked to go to Washington, D.C., ...

''.

References

{{reflist

External links

Money Musk video with annotated calls
at the

Country Dance and Song Society The Country Dance and Song Society (abbreviated CDSS) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to promote participatory dance, music, and song with English and North American roots. History CDSS began in 1915 as a series of American chapters of t ...

Animated video
showing the choreography of the dance
Money Musk
at the Traditional Tune Archive Contra dance Scottish folk music Scottish country dance Articles containing video clips