Harding, SR :: Four Short Dances

Comprised of some flashy stuff ('Allemande' and 'Gigue') but also something that was more of a lyrical nature ('Sarabande' and 'Air'), each dance is a short self-contained work, with simple, waving musical lines that can starkly stand on their own.

From the composer:

'Four Short Dances was a fun excuse for me to investigate the formal considerations of various movements of the time-honored dance suite. I'm definitely a big believer in working with performers, so when Joanna and Kennen White commissioned me to write a duet, I asked them what kind of piece they were looking for. After a little thought, the answer I ended up with went something like this: 'Well, we like fast, showy stuff... but we're also really fond of slow, lyrical music.' I'd already been recently taken with the idea of writing a suite of dances, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Each dance is a short self-contained work, although an Fm7 chord seems to wind through all of the movements at strategic points. There is nothing programmatic about the music, which for me was a nice departure: the opportunity to write simple, waving musical lines that could starkly stand on their own, without the extra clutter of scenes or imagery.'

Instrumentation: Flute, B-flat clarinet. Duration: 6'50.