Barn Dance Saturday Night

Description

Violin 1, Violin 2, Violin 3, Viola, Cello, Contrabass, Piano — I wrote this piece several years ago for one of my groups which met during the last period of the day. They loved to play what they called “Happy Music,” because it perked them up and they left school in a good mood. The arrangement I wrote then was quite group specific; this version should fit most orchestras very well, and itspreads the melody around more.This work is not intended to be intimidating or profound in the least but, instead, should evoke smiles. However, that does not mean that it should be played in a sloppy manner or without a diligent attitude. The staccatos are very important. Players should take special care not to clamp down on the bow with their bow holds in order to make the notes short; they can be executed by using relaxed wrist andfingers alone, if that is what the teacher wants their players to be learning while preparing this piece. There should be only good tone on those notes, and accents should not be added where not indicated unless instructed to do so by the teacher.There are notes in this piece with a tenuto mark (full value, but clearly defined) AND a staccato mark (separated). I want these notes to be clearly enunciated; not short, but not sustained into the next note, either. The key to doing this well may come in m. 48, where the basses and cellos must make a retake going into m. 49. The length of the quarter notes in m. 44 should match the length of the quarter notes in m. 48. Barn Dance Saturday Night depicts the gathering of hometown country folks for a square dance. Different from a rousing fiddle tune, in that the tempo is a bit more reserved, it is happy music that will be fun to play and will delight your audiences.

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