So You Think You Can Dance

SKU: MH.1-59913-054-8

ISBN 9781599130545.

Royal Coronation Dances is the first sequel to the Fanfare Ode & Festival, both being settings of dance music originally arranged by Gervaise in the mid 16th-century (the next sequel is The Renaissance Fair, which uses music of Susato and Praetorius). Fanfare Ode & Festival has been performed by many tens of thousands of students, both in high school and junior high school. I have heard that some of them are amazed that the music they are playing was first played and danced to over 400 years ago. Some students tend to think that music started with Handel and his Messiah to be followed by Beethoven and his Fifth Symphony, with naught in between or before of consequence. Although Royal Coronation Dances is derived from the same source as Fanfare Ode & Festival, they are treated in different ways. I envisioned this new suite programmatically -- hence the descriptive movement titles, which I imagined to be various dances actually used at some long-ago coronation. The first movement depicts the guests, both noble and common, flanked by flag and banner bearers, arriving at the palace to view the majestic event. They are festive, their flags swirling the air, their cloaks brightly colored. In the second movement, the queen in stately measure moves to take her place on the throne as leader and protector of the realm. In the third movement, the jesters of the court entertain the guests with wild games of sport. Musically, there are interesting sonorities to recreate. Very special attention should be given to the tambourine/tenor drum part in the first movement. Their lively rhythms give the movement its power. Therefore they should be played as distinctly and brilliantly as possible. The xylophone and glockenspiel add clarity, but must not be allowed to dominate. Observe especially the differing dynamics; the intent is to allow much buzzing bass to penetrate. The small drum (starting at meas. 29) should be played expressively, with attention to the notated articulations, with the brass light and detached, especially in a lively auditorium. It is of some further interest that the first dance is extremely modal. The original is clearly in G mixolydian mode (scale: G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G). However, other editors might put in F-sharps in many places (changing the piece almost to G major), in the belief that such ficta would have been automatically put in by the 16th-century performers as they played. I doubt it. I have not only eschewed these within the work, but even at the cadences. So this arrangement is most distinctly modal (listen to the F-naturals in meas. 22 and 23, for instance), with all the part-writing as Gervaise wrote it. In the second movement, be careful that things do not become too glued together. In the 16th century this music might have been played by a consort of recorders, instruments very light of touch and sensitive to articulation. Concert band can easily sound heavy, and although this movement has been scored for tutti band, it must not sound it. It is essential, therefore, that you hear all the instruments, with none predominating. Only when each timbre can be heard separately and simultaneously will the best blend occur, and consequently the greatest transparency. So aim for a transparent, spacious tutti sound in this movement. Especially have the flutes, who do this so well, articulate rather sharply, so as to produce a chiffing sound, and do not allow the quarter-notes to become too tied together in the entire band. The entrance of the drums (first tenor, then bass) are events and as such should be audible. Incidentally, this movement begins in F Major and ends in D Minor: They really didn't care so much about those things then. The third movement (one friend has remarked that it is the most Margolisian of the bunch, but actually I am just getting subtler, I hope) again relies upon the percussion (and the scoring) to make its points. Xylophone in this movement is meant to be distinctly audible. Therefore, be especially sure that the xylophone player is secure in the part, and also that the tambourine and toms sound good. This movement must fly or it will sink, so rev up the band and conduct it in 1 for this mixolydian jesting. I suppose the wildly unrelated keys (clarinets and then brass at the end) would be a good 16th-century joke, but to us, our put-up-the-chorus-a-half-step ears readily accept such shenanigans. Ensemble instrumentation: 1 Full Score, 1 Piccolo, 4 Flute 1, 4 Flute 2 & 3, 2 Oboe 1 & 2, 2 Bassoon 1 & 2, 1 Eb Clarinet, 4 Bb Clarinet 1, 4 Bb Clarinet 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 3, 2 Eb Alto Clarinet, 1 Eb Contra Alto Clarinet, 3 Bb Bass & Bb Contrabass Clarinet, 2 Eb Alto Saxophone 1, 2 Eb Alto Saxophone 2, 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 2 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpet 1, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 Bb Trumpet 3, 4 Horn in F 1 & 2, 2 Trombone 1, 4 Trombone 2 & 3, 3 Euphonium (B.C.), 2 Euphonium (T.C.), 4 Tuba, 1 String Bass, 1 Timpani (optional), 2 Xylophone & Glockenspiel, 5 Percussion.

SKU: PR.140401310

ISBN 9781491134153. UPC: 680160684250. 9 x 12 inches. Key: G major.

NORA’S DANCE is a jazz-influenced rag from 1921, and among the only surviving compositions by Nora Douglas Holt. A charming and exciting work rejuvenated by Lara Downes’ 2021 recording for the Rising Sun label, the rag is both a fun 2 minutes for pianists and audiences, and also a fascinating time capsule. Composed several years after Scott Joplin’s death, and several years before the Charleston pervaded popular music, NORA’S DANCE blossoms with the energy and jazz harmony starting to emerge as The Roaring 20’s, using ragtime and stride as the seed for pianistic style.
My own life in music has been driven by a quest to find strong female role models, trails to follow, shoulders to stand on. In Nora Douglas Holt, I find an inspiring example of creativity, independence, and resilience – with a dash of troublemaking. She was a free spirit, a force of nature, and she lived a fascinating and eventful life on her own terms. She reinvented herself through five marriages and at least as many careers. From her beginnings at the piano at age four, she explored many avenues of musical expression – performing, composing, music journalism, broadcasting, teaching – all with inventiveness, style, and zeal.She made the most of the Roaring ’20s, as an artist, socialite, jetsetter, muse, and patroness of the Harlem Renaissance. In 1921 she started an independent arts journal called “Music and Poetry,” where the charming piano solo Nora’s Dance was first published. I think the piece captures beautifully, in a little under 2 minutes, the energy and excitement of those heady years.In 1926, Nora left New York to travel the world, performing in nightclubs throughout Europe and Asia. She put her belongings in storage before she left, and when she came back she discovered that many of her things had been stolen, including more than 200 of her musical compositions. She never composed again.When the Depression hit, she moved out to Los Angeles, where she studied music education at USC, taught music in the LA public schools, and opened her own beauty salon. She returned to New York in the ’40s and worked as a music critic for several major newspapers, then launched yet another career, this time in broadcasting. Her popular radio concert series “Nora Holt’s Concert Showcase” broadcast to New York’s classical music audience, with a focus on Black composers and performers.Ahead of her time, larger than life, full of ideas…. I am so pleased to introduce you to the feisty and free spirited Nora Douglas Holt!

SKU: GI.G-7020

UPC: 785147702009. English, Spanish. Translation: Mary Louise Bringle. Text by Juan Damián.

The milonga is a song-dance developed around 1870 by the cultures co-existing in Buenos Aires at the time. This piece, with a Mary Louise Bringle translation, explores the mystery of God: “I think I know, but barely grasp it . . .” and calls for greater faith. The music is slow, rhythmic, richly harmonic, and mesmerizing.

Slow, rhythmic, richly harmonic, and mesmerizing.

SKU: CF.CAS115

ISBN 9781491151341. UPC: 680160908844. 9 x 12 inches. Key: B minor.

Composer Yukiko Nishimura presents Songbird, written for string orchestra in her signature fresh compositional style. After a short introduction, the main theme is a Siciliano-like melody, a dance in 6/8 time, followed by a brilliant and lively section. The melody makes use of long phrasing balanced by many wonderful countermelodies.
Songbird is composed in a standard ABA form. After a short introduction the main theme is a siciliano-like melody, which is a dance in 6/8 time. A brilliant and lively second section follows in m. 41. The melody has a long phrasing, and many of the countermelodies are hiding in each part. From m. 106, there is a short coda, where the tempo becomes increasingly faster until the end. The most important thing to consider when performing this music is to feel the beat as duple time. Always think about the groove of what is comfortable and appropriate in performing.
SongbirdA is composed in a standard ABA form. After a short introduction the main theme is a siciliano-like melody, which is a dance in 6/8 time. A brilliant and lively second section follows in m. 41. The melody has a long phrasing, and many of the countermelodies are hiding in each part. From m. 106, there is a short coda, where the tempo becomes increasingly faster until the end. The most important thing to consider when performing this music is to feel the beat as duple time. Always think about A the agroove of what is comfortable and appropriate in performing.
SongbirdA is composed in a standard ABA form. After a short introduction the main theme is a siciliano-like melody, which is a dance in 6/8 time. A brilliant and lively second section follows in m. 41. The melody has a long phrasing, and many of the countermelodies are hiding in each part. From m. 106, there is a short coda, where the tempo becomes increasingly faster until the end. The most important thing to consider when performing this music is to feel the beat as duple time. Always think about A the agroove of what is comfortable and appropriate in performing.
Songbird is composed in a standard ABA form. After a short introduction the main theme is a siciliano-like melody, which is a dance in 6/8 time. A brilliant and lively second section follows in m. 41. The melody has a long phrasing, and many of the countermelodies are hiding in each part. From m. 106, there is a short coda, where the tempo becomes increasingly faster until the end. The most important thing to consider when performing this music is to feel the beat as duple time. Always think about the groove of what is comfortable and appropriate in performing.
Songbird is composed in a standard ABA form. After a short introduction the main theme is a siciliano-like melody, which is a dance in 6/8 time. A brilliant and lively second section follows in m. 41. The melody has a long phrasing, and many of the countermelodies are hiding in each part. From m. 106, there is a short coda, where the tempo becomes increasingly faster until the end. The most important thing to consider when performing this music is to feel the beat as duple time. Always think about the groove of what is comfortable and appropriate in performing.
Songbird is composed in a standard ABA form. After a short introduction the main theme is a siciliano-like melody, which is a dance in 6/8 time. A brilliant and lively second section follows in m. 41. The melody has a long phrasing, and many of the countermelodies are hiding in each part. From m. 106, there is a short coda, where the tempo becomes increasingly faster until the end. The most important thing to consider when performing this music is to feel the beat as duple time. Always think about the groove of what is comfortable and appropriate in performing.
Songbird is composed in a standard ABA form. After a short introduction the main theme is a siciliano-like melody, which is a dance in 6/8 time. A brilliant and lively second section follows in m. 41. The melody has a long phrasing, and many of the countermelodies are hiding in each part. From m. 106, there is a short coda, where the tempo becomes increasingly faster until the end.The most important thing to consider when performing this music is to feel the beat as duple time. Always think about the groove of what is comfortable and appropriate in performing.