A Little Symphony of Dances (2023)
Guitar Quartet
Commissioned by the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet
Premiered March 31, 2023
Duration: 13 minutes
Commissioned by the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet
Premiered March 31, 2023
Duration: 13 minutes
Program notes:
A Little Symphony of Dances got its name as it follows the four movement structure typical of that used in symphonies: opening with an introductory movement, followed by a slow movement, then a scherzo (a fast-moving humorous composition), and concluding with a fast movement. All four movements in this symphony in miniature are loosely inspired by dances.
The first movement, “Introduction” (moderato) I wrote first, and it was this movement that inspired me to write a set of dances. It is a “theme and variations”, where, after the opening call to attention, it has the theme stated twice followed by four distinct variations.
Movement two, “Love” (andante cantabile) opens with a single guitar. The melodic and romantic opening sets up the contrasting, free-flowing, triple meter section in the middle, before turning back into the romance to end the movement.
The scherzo movement, “Waddling Penguins” (cakewalk) is a playful movement that depicts the comical waddling of a group of dancing penguins. They dance, slide on the ice, and waddle through the Arctic causing mischief in this scherzo.
To conclude, “Sunset” (Con moto) the image I’m trying to evoke is dancing on a beach somewhere tropical at sunset. The guitarists knock on their instruments in a percussive, castanet-like fashion. The meter for this piece is 8/8, but it’s not broken up evenly. Typically 8 eighth notes are divided into 4 sets of two (2+2+2+2), but for this dance it's broken up into three uneven beats (3+3+2).
The first movement, “Introduction” (moderato) I wrote first, and it was this movement that inspired me to write a set of dances. It is a “theme and variations”, where, after the opening call to attention, it has the theme stated twice followed by four distinct variations.
Movement two, “Love” (andante cantabile) opens with a single guitar. The melodic and romantic opening sets up the contrasting, free-flowing, triple meter section in the middle, before turning back into the romance to end the movement.
The scherzo movement, “Waddling Penguins” (cakewalk) is a playful movement that depicts the comical waddling of a group of dancing penguins. They dance, slide on the ice, and waddle through the Arctic causing mischief in this scherzo.
To conclude, “Sunset” (Con moto) the image I’m trying to evoke is dancing on a beach somewhere tropical at sunset. The guitarists knock on their instruments in a percussive, castanet-like fashion. The meter for this piece is 8/8, but it’s not broken up evenly. Typically 8 eighth notes are divided into 4 sets of two (2+2+2+2), but for this dance it's broken up into three uneven beats (3+3+2).