Three Dances (score & parts) - CL/BSN(TBN)

I. Jazz Waltz

II. Slow Dance

III. Irish Jig

Three Dances (1998) for clarinet and trombone (or bassoon) is a charming and picturesque composition in which the composer envisions two people dancing with one another. The "lead" in each dance is shared in alternation between the two instrumentalists. 

The first movement, Jazz Waltz, is in ABA form with the middle section being a 4/4 waltz. The melody is introduced by the trombone (or bassoon) and is passed back and forth throughout. In the enchanting second movement, Slow Dance, the musical material undergoes continuous development with the quality of the part being paramount. The energetic final movement, Irish Jig, opens with an intriguing mixed meter section which leads into the rousing Jig. It concludes with a frenzied accelerando and fugue.