The fiddle tune of the same name would be an obvious choice, but really any square, energetic, walking-tempo tune will do. There's lots of room for creative interpretation here too.
The original fiddle tune is a reel in 2/4, so "4 bars" above can be interpreted to mean 8 counts.
Howe 1859 provides this music:
© 2015 Nick Enge
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Soldier's Joy (Howe, 1859):
Form as for the Spanish Dance.
All forward and back, swing the opposite.
All balance to partners, and turn.
Ladies chain.
Forward and back, forward and again and pass to next couple (as in the Haymakers).
Soldier's Joy (Tousey & Small, 1878):
Form as for the Spanish Dance [not described in this source].
All forward and back, swing the opposite—all balance to partners, and turn—ladies chain—forward and back, forward again and pass to next couple.
Soldier's Joy (Schell, 1890):
Form as for Sicilian Circle.
All forward and back (4); turn the opposite (4); all balance (4); turn partner (4); ladies' chain (8); forward and back (4); forward, and pass by to next couple (4).
Soldier's Joy (Elmwell, 1892):
Form the same as for Sicilian Circle [not described in this source].
All forward and back (4); Turn the opposite (4); All balance (4); Turn partners (4); Ladies' chain (8); Forward and back (4); Forward and pass through to next couple (4).
For more, see our two books on dancing:
Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living (2013) by Richard Powers and Nick Enge,
and Cross-Step Waltz: A Dancer's Guide (2019) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge.
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