orchesography

English

Noun

orchesography (usually uncountable, plural orchesographies)

1. An enhanced form of choreography that includes details of the music to accompany the dance
   • 1826, Charlotte Matilda Hunt, The Little World of Knowledge, Arranged Numerically. Designed for Exercising the Memory, and as an Introduction to the Arts and Sciences, History, Natural Philosophy, Belles Lettres, &c. &c. &c.:

     Some years ago, Thoinot Arbeau, a dancing-master of Paris, gave an orchesography, wherein all the steps and motions of the dance are written or noted down, as the sounds of a song are scored in music.

   • 1879, William B. De Garmo, The Dance of Society:

     I do not deem it necessary, while dancing is so universally practiced, and conceded to be an agreeable and innocent diversion from the ordinary duties of life, to quote extracts in its favor from the Bible, ancient Greek authors, historical dictionaries, philosophers, poets, and celebrated men and women, nor even from the numerous works on dancing—consisting of essays, histories, choregraphies and orchesographies—now before me, many of them out of print, dating variously from the year 1700 to the present time.

   • 1912, The Cambridge History of English Literature, page 46:

     The wellworn theme of bucolic self-importance is developed into the delightful portrait of Sir Harry Quickset; the self-absorption of the half-educated appears in the comical account of the dancing master who made the house shake while he studied 'orchesography' "; […]

Translations

Translations

• French: orchésographie (fr) f
• Italian: orchesiografia f