Hesketh /Danceries(Brass Band)Set

Danceries Set II arranged for brass band was first commission by Keith Allen for the Birmingham Symphonic Winds. This second set of Danceries continues the format established in the popular Danceries (Set I) of using tunes and dances from Playford s Dancing Master (17th century) to form the basis of an extended dancesuite. In this set the melodies have become more abstracted and project only a distant echo of their original forms. As before each movement is self-contained colourful and direct with its own distinct mood.The outer movements Jennie s Bawbee and Peascod s Galliarda share driving percussion with a military air. Tom Tinker s Toye and Heart s Ease(movements two and three) are both settings of original melodies. All movements are more extended than in the first set with a freer use and approach to the material; melodies now occur in various keys and are supported by a greater variety of harmonic colouring. The result is a richer even more exhilarating set of dances.Brass Band Grade 5.

The term ?Danceries? can be found in a copy of Playford?s Dancing Master, an extensive collection of folk and popular tunes of the seventeenth century (and no doubt earlier). This publication was used by master fiddle players to teach the various dance steps of the day to a nobleman?s house or a king?s court. Whilst this present set of ?Danceries? cannot be said to be an aid to terpsichorean agility, it will at least set feet tapping!The melodies themselves are a mixture of new and old?well, nearly. Where the old occurs it has been adapted in mood and composition and is often interspersed with completely new material. The harmonies and rhythms bring a breath of the new into these themes and add to the drama of the set. Movement 1: Lull me beyond thee. Gentle and lilting, almost a barcarole, this movement is very much a reverie. The original tune had the name ?Poor Robin?s Maggot? - a rather disconcerting title; maggot, however, in seventeenth-century parlance meant whim or fancy. This theme can also be found in The Beggar?s Opera by John Gay (first performed in 1728) under the title ?Would you have a young lady? (Air 21).Movement 2: Catching of Quails. A colourful, buoyant scherzo on an original melody. The thematic material is shuttled around the band to contrast with full-bodied tuttis. The last few bars fade away to almost nothing before a final surprise! Movement 3: My Lady?s Rest. A tender pavane, also on an original theme, with Moorish leanings. Solos for principal winds and brass contrast with warmer tutti passages. The movement culminates with a final presentation of the theme before evaporating in held flute and trumpet chords. Movement 4: Quodling?s delight. The final movement to the set combining one of the melodies from Playford?s Dancing Master (?Goddesses?) with an original contrasting melody. A dramatic and exuberant ending to the set of ?Danceries?.