Concert band - Grade 3
SKU:
MH.1-59913-054-8
Composed by Bob Margolis.
Suitable for advanced
middle school, high
school, community and
college bands. Conductor
score and set of parts.
Duration 4:45. Published
by Manhattan Beach Music
(MH.1-59913-054-8).
ISBN
9781599130545.
Roya
l 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.
