Instrumentation: 2 Flutes (1. doubling Piccolo), 2 Oboes, 2 Bb Clarinets, 2 Bassoons; 4 Horns in F, 3 Trumpets in C (or Bb), 3 Trombones, Tuba; Timpani, 2 Percussion (Tambourine and Crash Cymbals; Tambour, Triangle, and Snare Drum); Harp, and Strings.
Duration: 9 minutes.
Suggested Programming Formats: Pops Concert or Series Concert where a short piece with a Scottish flair is appropriate.
Description: Dances at Threave is based on fifteenth to seventeenth century dance forms and airs. It is a festive piece, designed for a gala occasion. Apart from two quotations of early Scottish airs, "I dowe not own gold" and "I love my love for love again", the work consists of original courtly airs created in that style by composer John Maxwell Geddes. He describes the work as containing "the rhythms and meters of galiards, lilts, and bransles abound, tied together with a complete disregard for historical accuracy or stylistic authenticity!"
Historical Note: Threave was the stronghold on an island in the river Dee, a tower house built by Archibald the Grim in the fourteenth century. For three hundred years it was associated with important and often bloddy events in Scottish history -- the Balck Douglases, the Maxwells, and James VI. It was finally destroyed by the Covenanters in 1640.
History: Dances at Threave was written in response to a commission from the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival for its final concert in June, 1993, with the financial assistance of the Scottish Arts Council. A short piece with a Scottish flair was requested: immediately accesible music for a gala occasion. The work has met with much success in Scotland, and has been performed by professional, community, and youth orchestras.
About the composer.
About the Edition. The full score and each insturmental part for Dances at Threave is published in an individually covered edition, with cover stock front and back and bound with a heatseal binding process. The binding process makes for a permanent part collection for your orchestral library. Each part can lie flat, be placed in an orchestra folder, or can be opened completely to the edge of each page without damaging the seal. The orchestra set comes with one copy of each wind, harp, and percussion part, and a string set of 12-12-10-10-10.
Ordering Information:
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