Traite Sur L'Art De La Danse

A facsimile reprint of the second edition published in Paris, 1780. Malpied's instructional manual describes Baroque dance steps and their correlation with music using the notation system published by Raoul-Auger Feuillet in 1700. Additionally, the manual contains information on the minuet and also provides an extensive discussion on hand and arm positions. Malpied's Trait is also important in that it describes, for the first time, the five positions for the arms, in conjunction with the five position of the feet. The work also notes detailed treatment of the arms, hands and fingers. Malpied's method shows a marked advance on the work of Feuillet and Rameau in the simplification of the recording of dance steps, and his book is noted for the simplification and clarification of the Feuillet method.