Annotation:A la Mode de France

As A la Mode de France the melody is found in Playford's first edition of The Dancing Master (1650) and other of his publications, such as Musick's Recreation on the Lyra Viol and Musick's Delight on the Cithren, sometimes in a major key. Chappell thought the title may have derived from a song (quoted by Marchamont Needham, A Short History of the English Rebellion, 1661), which went:

Never such revels have been seen,

As since we led this dance;

So may we feast let prince and queen

Beg a la mode de France

The melody survived, notes Chappell, into the 18th century, for it is called for by the company in the Second Tale of a Tub (1715), and is the vehicle for a song in the Collection of Loyal Songs (1731). In modern times Nonesuch/A la Mode de France was rejuvinated by its appearance(set in the key of D minor) in Nan Fleming-Williams & Pat Shuldham-Shaw's English Dance Airs; Popular Selection, Book 1, (1965; p. 9). X:1 T:Nonesuch M:2/2 L:1/8 K:Dm a2|a2f2g2a2|f2 ef d2a2|a2f2g2a2|f4 f2a2|a2f2g2a2|f2 ef d2a2|a2f2g2a2|f4 d2|| e2|e2d2e2e2|f2 ef d2e2|e2c2d2e2|f4 d2e2|e2c2d2e2|f2 ef d2e2|e2c2d2e2|f4 d2||