*Raoul Auger FEUILLET (1660-1710). Choregraphie ou l'art de décrire la Dance, par caracteres, figures et signes démonstratifs, avec lequel on apprend facilement de soy-même toutes sortes de Dances. Ouvrage tres-utile aux Maîtres à Dancer & à toutes les personnes qui s'appliquent à la Dance. Par M. Feuillet, Maître de Dance. (Paris, chez l'Auteur, ruë de Bussi, Faubourg S. Germain, à la Cour Imperiale. Et chez Michel Brunet, 1700) In-4 (24 x 18,3cm) of [4] ff.-106p.- [Followed by:] Recueil de Dances, composées par M. FEUILLET, Maître de Dance. (idem, 1700); [1f.]-84p. - Then:] Recueil de Dances, composées par M. PECOUR, Pensionnaire des menus Plaisirs du Roy, & Compositeur des Ballets de l'Academie Royale de Musique de Paris. Et mises sur le papier par M. FEUILLET, Maître de Dance. (idem, 1700); [1f.]-72p. 3 works bound in one volume in-4, speckled brown calf, spine decorated (period binding, restored with hinges redone). Rare reunion of these three founding works of choreographic notation. Very rare first edition of the Choregraphie. RISM BVI p.314 lists only 5 copies, and Little/Marsh 8. Some twenty copies of the "second edition" in 1701 have been recorded. The Choregraphie opens with 4 printed leaves: title, dedication to Pecour, Preface and Privilège du Roy. The work is printed, with woodcut choreographic figures or engraved examples inserted in the text (p. 32, 101), but many pages are fully copper-engraved plates: p. 27-30 (tables of good and false positions), 37 and 39-40 (examples of different steps), 47-86 (Tables where most of the steps used in the Dance are), 88, 102. On the last page (106), "Fautes à corriger" are noted, and the name of the printer, Gilles Paulus du Mesnil, appears. Small stains on first 2 pages, small tear not missing in lower margin of pp. 59-60, running title on p.68 slightly trimmed. Otherwise a very fine copy. Feuillet's Recueil de Dances [Little/Marsh, LM/1700-Feu; Lancelot, La Belle Dance, FL/1700.1] consists of a printed title, and 84 engraved plates, some of which (p. 65-72 and 77-84) are folding (approx. 30 x 21.5cm). Page 12 bears a handwritten note: "Entrée à deux". A superb, flawless copy, with the exception of 2 very slightly trimmed titles. Little is known about the maître à danser Raoul Auger Feuillet (1660-1710), "an inventive composer of both figures and steps, most of which, embellished with double turns and numerous battus, present great technical difficulty" (E. Roucher). La Chorégraphie is "a completely new treatise which sets out a system for writing dance. It led to the astonishing production of choreographic scores throughout the 18th century. [...] In his preface to Chorégraphie, Feuillet presents this first collection of dances of his own composition as examples for the use of advanced Maîtres and Écoliers; the vast majority are ballet entrées" (F. Lancelot). In his Preface, Feuillet states: "Several people before me have worked at different times to put the Dances on paper, by means of a few Signs; but as their work has remained fruitless, I have tried to take mine far enough to make it useful to the public [...Of all the Signs, Characters & Figures that I have been able to invent, I have used in this Work only those that seemed to me the most appropriate & the most demonstrative, and I have tried to explain clearly everything that may be necessary, to make their use easy. It cannot be denied that it is very useful & very advantageous to dancing masters, [...] & finally to schoolchildren, because both of them, by the help of the Signs, Characters & Figures that I give, will be able to decipher Dances easily, as one deciphers notated Musical Airs." Feuillet uses signs and diagrams to visualize the dancer's movements. He studies and describes positions, steps, coupés and "demy coupés", jetés ("jettées"), contre-temps, chassés, pirouettes, cabrioles, entrechats, port de bras, castanet drumming, and various dance figures: courante, gaillarde, bourrée (Table des Pas de Bourée, or Fleurets)... In his Recueil de Dances, Feuillet presents 15 choreographies, many to music by Lully; the music is engraved at the top of the page presenting the choreographic figures. 1 Le Rigaudon de la Paix (p. 1-7); 2 Gigue à deux [de Roland] (p. 8-11); 3 Entrée à deux (p. 12-16); 4 Autre Entrée à deux (p. 17-20); 5 Sarabande pour femme (p.21-24); 6 Sarabande pour homme (p.25-28); 7 Sarabande Espagnole pour homme (p. 29-32) [5-7 for Le Bour