Danceries

Kenneth Hesketh

General Info

Year: 1999
Duration: c. 14:35
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Faber Music
Cost: Score and Parts - $195.00 | Score Only - $32.25

Movements

1. Lull Me Beyond Thee - 3:00
2. Catching of Quails - 1:55
3. My Lady's Rest - 5:55
4. Quodling's Delight - 4:35

Instrumentation

Full Score
Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II-III
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium I-II
Tuba I-II
String Bass (five-string bass required)
Timpani
Percussion (3 players), including:

Bass Drum
Crash Cymbals
Glockenspiel
Side Drum
Mark Tree
Sleigh Bells
Suspended Cymbals
Tambourine
Tam-Tam
Triangle
Vibraphone
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

The term "danceries" can be found in a copy of Playford's Dancing Master, an extensive collection of folk and popular tunes of the seventeenth century (and no doubt earlier). This publication was used by master fiddle players to teach the various dance steps of the day to a nobleman's house or a king's court. Whilst this present set of 'danceries' cannot be said to be an aid to terpsichorean agility, I do hope that it will at least set feet tapping.

The melodies themselves are a mixture of new and old -- well, nearly. Where old occurs, it has been adapted in mood and composition and is often interspersed with completely new material. The harmonies and rhythms bring a breath of the new into these themes and add to the drama of the set.

Movement I: Lull me beyond thee: Gentle and lilting, almost a barcarole, this movement is very much a reverie. The original tune had the name 'Poor Robin's Maggot' -- a rather disconcerting title; maggot however, in seventeenth-century parlance, meant 'whim' or 'fancy.' This theme can also be found in The Beggar's Opera by John Gay (first performed in 1728) under the title "Would you have a young lady?" (Air 21).

Movement II: Catching of Quails: A colourfully buoyant scherzo on an original melody. The thematic material is shuttled around through the band to contrast with full-bodied tuttis. The last few bars fade away almost to nothing, it seems, until a final surprise!

Movement III: My Lady's Rest: A rather tender pavane, also on an original theme, with Moorish leanings. Solos for principal winds and brass with warmer tutti passages. The movement culminates with a final presentation of the theme before evaporating in held flute and trumpet chords.

Movement IV: Quodling's Delight: The final movement to the set combining one of the melodies from Playford's Dancing Master (under the title "Goddesses,' here theme 1) with an original contrasting melody (theme 2). A dramatic and exuberant ending to this first set of Danceries.

- Program Note by Kenneth Hesketh

Media

Audio CD: Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra (Clark Rundell, conductor) - 2005
Audio CD: Birmingham Symphonic Winds (Keith Allen, conductor) – 2003

State Ratings

Alabama: V
Louisiana: IV
Michigan: V
North Carolina: Masterworks
Virginia: VI

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Cleveland State University (Ohio) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Birch Browning, conductor) - 19 November 2023
North Cheshire (UK) Wind Orchestra (Timothy Reynish, conductor) – 12 March 2023
University of Toronto (Ont., Can.) Wind Symphony (Pratik Gandhi, conductor) - 3 December 2022
Laurier University (Waterloo, Ont. Can.) Wind Ensemble (James Wu, conductor) - 29 October 2021
State University of New York, Fredonia, Wind Symphony (Susan Evans, conductor) – 14 November 2019
Northwestern State University of Louisiana (Natchitoches) Wind Symphony (Jeffrey C. Mathews, conductor) – 10 July 2019 - WASBE Conference (Buñol, Spain)
Knightwind Ensemble (Milwaukee, Wisc.) (Erik N. Janners, conductor) – 10 February 2019
The Ohio State University (Columbus) Wind Symphony (Russell C. Mikkelson, conductor) – 7 February 2019
State University of New York, Potsdam, Concert Band (Joshua Roach, conductor) – 4 October 2018
Indiana University (Bloomington) Concert Band (Jason H. Nam, conductor) – 18 September 2018
University of Leeds (England) Symphonic Wind Orchestra (Jacob Smith, conductor) – 19 May 2017
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) Concert Band (Courtney Snyder, conductor) – 12 April 2017
Southern Adventist University (Collegedale, TN) Wind Symphony (Ken Parsons, conductor) – 9 October 2016
Ball State University (Muncie, Ind.) Symphony Band (Caroline Hand, conductor) – 29 April 2016
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Wind Ensemble (Andrew McMahan, conductor) - 19 June 2013
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Wind Orchestra (Christopher J. Woodruff, conductor) - 7 June 2013
Philharmonic Youth Winds (Adrian Chiang, conductor) - 30 December 2011
University of Kentucky Symphony Band (Michael Hudson, conductor) - March 2014
Birmingham (Eng.) Symphonic Winds (Keith Allen, conductor) – 18 December 2003 (2003 Midwest Clinic)
University of Calgary (Alb., Can.) Wind Ensemble (Glenn Price, conductor) – 23 February 2001 (CBDNA 2001 National Conference, Denton, Tx.)

Works for Winds by This Composer

Resources

Heron, Mark. Kenneth Hesketh's Danceries A Guide to Rehearsal and Performance Winds Magazine.
Hesketh, K. (2001). Danceries [score]. Faber Music: London.]
Miles, Richard B., and Larry Blocher. 2002. Teaching Music Through Performance in Band. Volume 4. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 603-622