ABSTRACT
Girdlestone is far from alone in responding to the kinesthetic qualities in Rameau’s dance music; his statement, however, goes beyond an admiration of expressivity, and attributes to Rameau the role of choreographer as well as composer. Furthermore, Girdlestone accepts an aesthetic of literalism between music and dance that, in the view of many people today – scholars and performers alike – seems so redundant as to be implausible. In the absence of choreographies from the period, authors have aimed to test Girdlestone’s claim by evaluating the evidence in librettos and scores, and by using Rameau’s fullest set of choreographic annotations to construct hypothetical choreographies. Their perspective is historical; authors are not considering the choreographic choices being made today, but rather the question of what Rameau’s music might tell them about the movements of the dancers in his own day, when they pay close attention to his musical choices.
