Four Dances from a Pleasure Garden

Four Dances from a Pleasure Garden is a 13 minute work divided into four dances which, stylistically, might have entertained guests as they danced the evening away. The dances, for the most part are fairly easy. Some difficult keys may be encountered, but nothing beyond the abilities of the average high school or university band. The first dance, Charlie Chaplin Strut, and the last dance, Rag-a-Muffin Schottish contain some syncopated passages but nothing too difficult. Charlie Chaplin Strut has chromatic passages throughout which, at first may challenge the musicians but with practice should be easily mastered. Historically a pleasure garden or pleasure ground meant private flower gardens, shrub gardens or formal wooded areas such as bosquets that were planted for enjoyment with ornamental plants and neat paths for walking. These were distinguished from the areas in a large garden planted as lawns, as a landscaped park, or the useful areas of the kitchen garden and woodland. Pleasure garden usually referred to the ornamental parts of a garden, whereas pleasure ground was a commercial place of entertainment. They coexisted in England from the 17th century. Public pleasure gardens were opened in London from the later 17th century; many had previously been parts of large private gardens, so the garden layout already existed. Usually entrance required payment. New openings in 18th and 19th century London included Cremorne Gardens, Ranelagh Gardens, Royal Surrey Gardens and Vauxhall Gardens. Many contained large concert halls, or hosted promenade concerts; some lesser discussed pleasure gardens were home to haberdasheries and harems. A pleasure garden today, insofar as the term is still used, usually means a park or garden that is open to the public for recreation. They differ from other public gardens by serving as venues for entertainment, variously featuring such attractions as concert halls, bandstands, amusement rides, zoos, and menageries.