Instrumentation:
2.picc.2.ehn.2.bcl.2./4.3.3.1./timp.3perc./strings
(2nd flute, English horn, bass clarinet and/or 3rd trumpet are optional; alternate parts for 2 percussion)
Date: 1995
Duration: 5:10
Notes:
The Composer’s own words best describe this playful work: “Written in the spring of 1995, Dance for Orchestra was composed for the concert stage but could be danced to by ballet or modern dancers. This composition does not seek to imitate a specific type of dance but does feature qualities that can be danced to such as lively and energetic rhythms as well as expressive and flowing melodies.
The music utilizes an ‘arch’ form (ABCBA). The fast paced A and B sections feature short and repeating motives and jaunty melodies which are contrasted with flowing lines. In the C or middle section, the music slows and relaxes, featuring a solo by the French horn and ending with a clarinet cadenza, which leads the listener back to the faster pace of the B and A sections. The coda completes the dance adventure with a whirling increase of tempo, momentum and energy.”
Mr. Royer’s Dance for Orchestra won First Prize in the Suburban Youth Orchestra Composition Competition and was premiered in Chicago in March 1996.