This version of The Swedish or Three Meet was noted in Guiting Power by collector and antiquarian H. Hurlbutt Albino from Charles Denley, a descendant of some of the Guiting dancers and musicians. Albino also noted another version of the same tune in Snowshill from the village schoolmistress, Mrs. Newman.

HH Albino published the dance movements with the tunes:

Longways for as many as will
(Duple minor set, but each man having 2 partners)

A₁   1-4   The two men (first man facing down, and second man facing up) lead their partners forward a double and back.
A₁   5-8  The men link arms with their partners and the trios change place in a body, moving to the left.
A₂             Repeat to places.
B₁   1-4  Hands-six clockwise [slipping step, according to EFDS News IV (2) p 49 (no. 36)].
B₁   5-8 Hands-six counter-clockwise
B₂            The two men go hands-three clockwise with their own partners, and at the same time the two 3-rings revolve around each other in a half circle clockwise, and change places (sk. s.[skip step?]) (Progressive.)

From H H Albino: “The dance known as “The Swedish” was discovered at Upper Slaughter, Glos., a few years ago where it is still danced traditionally at the harvest suppers.”
and
”At Snowshill, on St. Barnabas’s Day celebrations The Swedish is still danced (among modern dances) to the … version of the tune given above. Mrs. Newman learnt it from an old fiddler who used to play for the dancing at Snowshill.”

The tune is a version of the Carnival of Venice, based on a Neapolitan folk tune Oh Mama, Mama Cara and popularized by violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840), who wrote twenty variations for violin and orchestra on the original tune. He titled the work Il Carnevale Di Venezia, Op. 10, 1829.

Note by Charles Menteith and Paul Burgess