Tänze aus Terpsichore
Nikk Pilato
General Information
Instrumentation
* The English Horn is used in the 4th movement only. If no English Horn is available, the part may be played by the second oboe. |
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Program Note
I came to appreciate Renaissance music much later in life than some of my colleagues. I paid the requisite attention in Music History class as an undergraduate, but my head was swimming in music by Barber, Copland, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich…to be completely honest, the trials and tribulations of troubadours and trouvères and the intrigues of courtly dances did not interest me much.
That all changed when I ran across a wind band setting of Renaissance dance music by Bob Margolis, aptly titled Terpsichore (in Greek mythology, Terpsichore was the Muse of Dance). Terpsichore is also the name of a collection of dance music assembled by German composer Michael Praetorius, published in Wolfenbüttel, Germany, in 1612. Margolis’ suite drew from several dances found in the Terpsichore, and is highly recommended for advanced ensembles looking for a challenge. Around this time, I also discovered a wonderful work for strings entitled Capriol Suite by Peter Warlock (a pen name for Philip Heseltine). This work drew inspiration from another collection of Renaissance dance music, Thoinot Arbeau’s Orchesography. Not long after discovering the Arbeau tome, Patrick Dunnigan, Director of Bands at Florida State University, published his own Selections from the Danserye, based on yet another collection of Renaissance-era music, Tielman Susato’s Het derde musyck boexken, better known as The Danserye.
My introduction to these three works (and by extension, the three collections of dance music upon which they are based) all took place within a year of each other, and the music – simple, charming, elegant – continues to fascinate and delight me. In putting together Tänze aus Terpsichore (literally, “dances out of the Terpsichore”), I had a clear goal in mind: To write something that would not be terribly difficult in the hopes of making the suite accessible to most university and high school wind bands (and perhaps even some daring middle school bands). To that end, many of the original meters have been transformed into time signatures that will give fewer problems (e.g., 6/4 becomes 6/8, etc.), and important parts are cued liberally throughout.
Not wanting to copy what Mr. Margolis had already accomplished in his excellent work, I took pains not to use the specific dances he orchestrated in his setting. Although this is a suite of music derived from the Terpsichore, I also couldn’t help including nods to Warlock’s and Dunnigan’s settings, as both influenced me greatly. It is my hope that this suite will help introduce the wonderful music of the Renaissance to a wider audience. The order of the movements is completely at the discretion of the conductor; the sequence in which they appear here is merely a suggestion that seems to flow well.
Each movement of the suite focuses on one form of Renaissance dance, incorporating the music of several of these types:
Movement I is based on the circle dances known as Bransles (pronounced “brawn-slah”). The Bransle was a 16th Century dance of French origin, in which the dancers move mainly from side to side, and is performed by couples in a line or a circle. The style eventually migrated to Italy, Scotland, and Spain, but curiously never became popular in England. In his writings, Arbeau strongly implies that the Bransle was a dance mainly performed by commoners. The first movement includes the following dances (in order of introduction):
Movement II is based on the athletic, improvised dances known as Gaillardes (galliard in England, gagliarda in Italy). The Gaillarde was characterised by leaps, jumps, hops, and other similar figures. In writings of the period, it is suggested that the most important and defining aspect of this dance was its last two beats, consisting of a large jump, with one leg landing ahead of the other in a posture. In this suite, however, the first of the Gaillardes has been transformed into a regal, stately intrada, giving way to a more “athletic” dance to close out the movement. I couldn’t resist paying homage to Bob Margolis in this movement, particularly in the percussive writing and the manner in which the movement ends. The second movement includes the following dances (in order of introduction):
Movement III is based on the Ballet, a dance that originated in the late fifteenth century in Italy. Originally a dance interpretation of fencing, the ballet was developed further in the French court during the seventeenth century, eventually falling into decline in the early nineteenth century. It was reintroduced to Europe by the Ballets Russes dance company, headed by Sergei Diaghilev, who also introduced many choreographic and style innovations that popularised Ballet throughout the world. The third movement includes the following dances (in order of introduction):
Movement IV is based on La Canarie (XXXI), a curious entry in the Terpsichore, as it appears to stand alone without much relation to any of the broader forms of dance encountered. The dance was named for the Canary Islands, where it originated. It has been set here as a call-and-response.
Movement V is based on the Courante, a type of triple meter dance that was popular from the late Renaissance period into the Baroque era. As with many of these dances, there were two types: The French Courante, a moderately fast dance with many cross-accents typically notated in 3/2 or 6/4, and the Italian Courante, which was significantly faster and more free-flowing (“…absolutely the most serious [dance] one can find” wrote Johann Walther about the rhythm of the Italian Courante). For the purpose of this suite, the dance has been converted into more conventional meter signatures. The fifth movement includes the following dances (in order of introduction), with the Courante CXXV being used twice in altered forms.
That all changed when I ran across a wind band setting of Renaissance dance music by Bob Margolis, aptly titled Terpsichore (in Greek mythology, Terpsichore was the Muse of Dance). Terpsichore is also the name of a collection of dance music assembled by German composer Michael Praetorius, published in Wolfenbüttel, Germany, in 1612. Margolis’ suite drew from several dances found in the Terpsichore, and is highly recommended for advanced ensembles looking for a challenge. Around this time, I also discovered a wonderful work for strings entitled Capriol Suite by Peter Warlock (a pen name for Philip Heseltine). This work drew inspiration from another collection of Renaissance dance music, Thoinot Arbeau’s Orchesography. Not long after discovering the Arbeau tome, Patrick Dunnigan, Director of Bands at Florida State University, published his own Selections from the Danserye, based on yet another collection of Renaissance-era music, Tielman Susato’s Het derde musyck boexken, better known as The Danserye.
My introduction to these three works (and by extension, the three collections of dance music upon which they are based) all took place within a year of each other, and the music – simple, charming, elegant – continues to fascinate and delight me. In putting together Tänze aus Terpsichore (literally, “dances out of the Terpsichore”), I had a clear goal in mind: To write something that would not be terribly difficult in the hopes of making the suite accessible to most university and high school wind bands (and perhaps even some daring middle school bands). To that end, many of the original meters have been transformed into time signatures that will give fewer problems (e.g., 6/4 becomes 6/8, etc.), and important parts are cued liberally throughout.
Not wanting to copy what Mr. Margolis had already accomplished in his excellent work, I took pains not to use the specific dances he orchestrated in his setting. Although this is a suite of music derived from the Terpsichore, I also couldn’t help including nods to Warlock’s and Dunnigan’s settings, as both influenced me greatly. It is my hope that this suite will help introduce the wonderful music of the Renaissance to a wider audience. The order of the movements is completely at the discretion of the conductor; the sequence in which they appear here is merely a suggestion that seems to flow well.
Each movement of the suite focuses on one form of Renaissance dance, incorporating the music of several of these types:
Movement I is based on the circle dances known as Bransles (pronounced “brawn-slah”). The Bransle was a 16th Century dance of French origin, in which the dancers move mainly from side to side, and is performed by couples in a line or a circle. The style eventually migrated to Italy, Scotland, and Spain, but curiously never became popular in England. In his writings, Arbeau strongly implies that the Bransle was a dance mainly performed by commoners. The first movement includes the following dances (in order of introduction):
- Bransle double 1 (XII)
- Bransle double 3 (XII)
- Bransle simple 1: La, la, la, je ne l’ose dire (I)
Movement II is based on the athletic, improvised dances known as Gaillardes (galliard in England, gagliarda in Italy). The Gaillarde was characterised by leaps, jumps, hops, and other similar figures. In writings of the period, it is suggested that the most important and defining aspect of this dance was its last two beats, consisting of a large jump, with one leg landing ahead of the other in a posture. In this suite, however, the first of the Gaillardes has been transformed into a regal, stately intrada, giving way to a more “athletic” dance to close out the movement. I couldn’t resist paying homage to Bob Margolis in this movement, particularly in the percussive writing and the manner in which the movement ends. The second movement includes the following dances (in order of introduction):
- Gaillarde (CCCVI)
- Gaillarde (CCC)
Movement III is based on the Ballet, a dance that originated in the late fifteenth century in Italy. Originally a dance interpretation of fencing, the ballet was developed further in the French court during the seventeenth century, eventually falling into decline in the early nineteenth century. It was reintroduced to Europe by the Ballets Russes dance company, headed by Sergei Diaghilev, who also introduced many choreographic and style innovations that popularised Ballet throughout the world. The third movement includes the following dances (in order of introduction):
- Ballet (CCLXXIII)
- Ballet de Monsieur de Nemours (CCLIII)
- Ballet des Baccanales (CCLXXVIII)
Movement IV is based on La Canarie (XXXI), a curious entry in the Terpsichore, as it appears to stand alone without much relation to any of the broader forms of dance encountered. The dance was named for the Canary Islands, where it originated. It has been set here as a call-and-response.
Movement V is based on the Courante, a type of triple meter dance that was popular from the late Renaissance period into the Baroque era. As with many of these dances, there were two types: The French Courante, a moderately fast dance with many cross-accents typically notated in 3/2 or 6/4, and the Italian Courante, which was significantly faster and more free-flowing (“…absolutely the most serious [dance] one can find” wrote Johann Walther about the rhythm of the Italian Courante). For the purpose of this suite, the dance has been converted into more conventional meter signatures. The fifth movement includes the following dances (in order of introduction), with the Courante CXXV being used twice in altered forms.
- Courante (CXXV)
- Courante: La Rosette (CIX)