The Young Widow ~ Smukler

The Young Widow is an American Country Dance devised by John Griffiths and published in 1788 as part of “A Collection of the newest and most fashionable Country Dances and Cotillions“, the first such work published in the United States (See “Cracking Chestnuts“ for more information). This version was interpreted by David Smukler in “Cracking Chestnuts“. It is a proper triple minor dance. The Playford Assembly considers this an English Country Dance, while the book Cracking Chestnuts calls it an early Contra Dance. It doesn't look much like a modern contra to me, but it was devised in America, so I shall call it an American Country Dance, as something between the two. The tune was published with the dance. It was performed by Bare Necessities (Earl Gaddis, Mary Lea, Peter Barnes, and Jacqueline Schwab) on the album “At The Ball“. It is used with permission of Country Dance Society, Boston Centre, Inc. The animation plays at 112 counts per bar normally, but the first time thr