Dance! Dance! Dance!

A program of dances by CarolinaClarinet
3 PM, February 15, 2009
Raleigh Symphony Chamber Music Series
Holly Springs Cultural Center
Holly Springs NC

Program

Three Old World Dances

Minuet from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Mozart arranged by O’day
Bourree from the English Suite Bach arranged by O’day
Waltz from Serenade for Strings Tchaikovsky arranged by O’day

Hungarian Dance No 5 Brahms arranged by Janssens

Arghulesques van der Roost

Histoire du Tango Piazzolla arranged by Edwards

Three Sarabandes

Sarabande form Pour le Piano Debussy arranged by Dorff
Sarabande from French Suite Lefeber
Zarabanda from Danzas Espanolas Granados arranged by Gore

Dance Creole Chaminade arranged by Bueris

Two Cuban Dances Cervantes arranged by Denwood

Le Bouef sur le Toit Milhaud arranged by Smith

Andaluza from Danzas Espanolas Granados arranged by Gore

It Takes Four to Tango Dorff

Program notes
The minuet, which originated in France in the 17^th century, is named for the delicate short steps “pas menus” taken in the dance. When it was most fashionable, it was slow, ceremonious and graceful. As early at the 17^th century, Jean-Baptiste Lully adopted it into serious music, but with a quicker pace. Later the form was used by Bach, Händel and many other composers. Unlike many other baroque dances, the minuet retained its popularity long after the close of that era. Mozart’s Minuet from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is one of the most recognizable minuets of all time.

The bourrée, like the minuet, is a French dance that spread throughout Europe. However, it’s typically in a quick double (not triple) time like the gavotte, but typically with a quarter note pickup, whereas a gavotte has a half note pickup. In spite of its relatively fast pace, the bourrée features a pleasant feeling that is easygoing and relaxed. Today we play Bach’s Bouree from the English Suite.

The waltz is well-known ballroom and folk dance that originated in Bavaria in the 18^th century, at which time the minuet was a favorite of the upper class. Eventually, the gliding rotation of the waltz became a favorite of high society all throughout Europe. There are many styles of waltz, including the famous symphonic Waltz from Serenade for Strings by Tchaikovsky that we are playing today.

Brahm’s Hungarian Dance n^o 5 is one of 21 lively dances for four-hands piano, based on Hungarian themes. Brahms originally wrote these for four-hands piano. These short pieces are some of Brahm’s most popular works. Brahms's exposure to Hungarian and so-called gypsy music began when he first heard the music after the Hungarian uprising in 1848 that resulted in a wave of emigration to Germany. His lifelong fascination with the irregular rhythms, triplet figures, and use of rubato common to this style can perhaps be traced to his encounter at this time with the Hungarian expatriate violinist Ede Reményi. The 5th dance, one of the most celebrated, showcases the first clarinet presenting a tune that is by turns both fiery and morose.

Arghulesques was commissioned by the Belgian Arghul Clarinet Quartet, named after a traditional Arabic reed instrument that has been in use since ancient Egyptian times, with a tone similar to the clarinet. Jan Van der Roost of Belgium has been an important composer of wind music since 1950. He studied composition at the Belgian Royal Conservatoires and is currently affiliated with the Shobi Institute of Music in Tokyo. We are playing the finale of this piece, which displays the virtuosic skills of all four players, as well as a wailing exotic melody suitable for belly dancing.

The first half of the program concludes with our feature piece for this afternoon, Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango. Piazzolla, a 20^th century composer is internationally known for his innovative tango music, rooted in working-class dancehalls and dockland nightclubs of Buenos Aires. Piazzolla was born in Argentina in 1921 and then, as a child, moved to New York City where he worked with Carlos Gardél (the undisputed king of classical tango) to play in “El Did Que Me Quieras” and many other films. He returned to Argentina and achieved great success as a solo performer. He continued his career in Paris studying with Nadia Boulanger, who encouraged him to further develop his vivacious 'nuevo tango' style, which had great appeal for South American and eventually worldwide audiences. Bruce Edwards transcribed this clarinet quartet arrangement of Historie du Tango from the original, which was written for four saxophones. The first movement “Bordel 1900” is an easygoing joyous rag in the style of the turn-of-the-century. The second, “Café 1930”, has a more quiet and sultry style. The third, “Night-Club 1960”, exhibits a lighthearted disco-influence.

The triple-meter of the sarabande features a distinctive rhythm of alternating quarter and half notes, with the quarter note on the first beat and the half notes corresponding to the dragging steps in the dance on beats 2 and 3 of each measure. It originated in Central America in the 16^th century (called “zarabanda”), became popular in colonies, and eventually was carried back to Spain. Today’s program includes three versions of the sarabande. First Debussy Sarabande from “Pour le Piano”, arranged for clarinet by Dorff. Next is Sarabande from the French Suite, an original composition by Lefebre for clarinet quartet. Finally Zarabande by Granados shows the original Latin American character of this form. Note the quarter/half note feel in the latter two selections.

Cecile Chaminade, composer of many dance suites including Op. 94 Danse Creole,was born in Paris and, by the age of 8, was playing her compositions for notable composers like Bizet. She wrote mostly character pieces for piano and salon songs, over 200 of which were published. In 1913, she was awarded the prestigious Légion d'Honneur, a first ever for a female composer. Of all her major musical compositions, she is probably most well-known piece for her flute concerto.

Two Cuban Dances was originally composed for piano but has been arranged for many consorts of instruments including strings, saxophones and in this case by Russell Denwood for clarinet quartet. The first dance exhibits a relaxed almost lazy character, while the second shows a more spirited nature, but still quietly content.

Upon returning from a vacation in Argentina, Darius Milhaud composed a musical score for a “farce”, or pantomime play, by Jean Cocteau called Le Bouef sur le Toit (The Ox on the Roof). The music depicts afternoon events in the “Nothing Doing Bar” as the play unfolds. Milhaud incorporated much thematic material and Latin dance rhythms that he heard during his recent vacation.

Andaluza from Spanish Dance in E minor (Op 37 No 5) was composed by Enrique Granados, a Spanish composer and painter. Granados married his painting and musical artistry into a unique amalgam. His suite for piano “Goyescas”, a set of six pieces based on paintings of Goya, became his most famous work. His piano compositions have been transcribed for guitar, for which they are beautifully suited. Granados practiced a nationalistic style as can be heard in Andaluza, originally for piano.

It Takes Four to Tango is a single-movement piece for clarinet quartet, with a sultry tango theme that includes slinky jazz influences. Daniel Dorff, composer-in-residence for the Haddonfield NJ Symphony, was born in 1956 in New Rochelle NY and studied at Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania. He has composed in many genres and styles, with a particular interest in exposing young people to classical music. To that end, he has composed and arranged many excellent clarinet quartets. In addition to composing, Dorff plays the clarinet and saxophone.