Annotation:Lodoiska

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LODOISKA. AKA - "La Lodoiska," "Lancers Quadrilles (The)." English, Quadrille (2/4 time). B Flat Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABCC. The melody is one of the tunes from the set which forms "Quadrille des Lanciers," adapted from a composition called "Sinfonia della 'Lodoïska'" by classical violinist and composer Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766-1831), written for his 3-act opera Lodoïska [1] (Paris, 1791). Another opera by the name Lodoiska, by Cherubini, was also produced in Paris the same year and at nearly the same time, albeit at different theaters. Kreutzer's opera opened two weeks after the debut of Cherubini's, and for the next several months they were both performed, sometimes on the same evening. Opinion was (and is) split on the relative merits of the two works.

The lancers set was printed in early 19th century collections, including J. Hewitt's A Collection of New Cotillions (New York, c. 1803). The tune also appears in the music manuscript collections of Leeds, Yorkshire, musician George Spencer (c. 1831), and Shropshire musician and poet John Moore (c. 1837). See Annotation:Lancers Quadrilles (The) for more.

Source for notated version: a c. 1837-1840 MS by Shropshire musician John Moore [Ashman].

Printed sources: Ashman (The Ironbridge Hornpipe), 1991; No. 82, p. 33.

Recorded sources:

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