ABSTRACT
Detailed musical analysis of the pieces in Andrew Sabol's collection reveals closer ties between almain and masque dance. John Ward argues convincingly that the Mulliner dances possibly, the Jacobean masque dances almost certainly, were composed under the influence of French dancing-masters. The repertory of instrumental music in general and of masque dances in particular, is peppered with duple-time airs which are virtually indistinguishable from many titled almains. By the turn of the seventeenth century two distinct strands coexisted: an almain that was either functional or constructed on functional lines, fairly simple and in regular phrases and strains; and a non-functional form identical in character except for its exploitation of strains in odd numbers of bars. The loss of a marked duple-time melody and pulse, and the interruption of the rhythmic flow are all signs of mannerism and are symptomatic of a trend away from the clear-cut lines and rhythms of dance-music and towards music for music's sake.
