Dance of the Hobbits

Piano Duet Version (January, 2004)

Dance of the Hobbits was originally written for the Senior Wind Ensemble at Furze Platt Senior School in April 2003. The origins of the piece can be traced back to my uni days as I scribbled down the idea of the main theme one night in late 1998 whilst in halls at Kingston. The piece was completed on the 5th April 2003 in preparation for the school's summer concert. On the 11th of January 2004 a piano duet version was completed. Both versions are exactly the same in terms of themes and structure although the piano duet version is a lot fuller in terms of harmony owing to the amount of notes afforded by four hands rather than six instruments.

Piano Duet version
Wind Sextet version

Analysis:

The piece was written in the style of upbeat cartoon music and represents the dances that take place at Bilbo's birthday party which is written about in The Fellowship of the Ring. The piece is a symmetrical rondo: ABACABA

Section A (bb.1-22):
The two-bar introduction sets the mood for the piece with a dissonant vamping figure. The main theme is first presented in the low register (of the piano, or on the bassoon in the sextet version). This theme (which hereafter will be called X) has a lydian mode feel about it resulting from the raised 4th. It circles around the raised 4th (G#) with offbeat accents. An abrupt modulation at the end of the phrase (b6) leads to a repeat of X in Eb major (up a semitone bb7-10). This time however theme X is presented in a high register and with a slightly different ending. Also the perfect 4th that formed the bass line of bb1-5 has now been turned into a more disturbing tritone. After some falling wholetone scales and trills based on risings 4ths (bb11-16) the original vamping D major pattern returns. The A section concludes with a variation on X with decoration and metre changes.

Section B (bb.23-36):
Section B begins with the new theme (Y) which consists of repeated semi-quaver notes and a wholetone scale motif based on the circling motion of X. This is accompanied by off beat dissonant chords (Ebmaj-b9). Y is presented again with varied scoring and tonal centre (b30) leading to a cadence back into Dmajor.

Section A (bb.37-48):
Section A returns in an abridged form. Also there is a hint of Y in bar 41.

Section C (bb.49-73):
Section C opens with Y played twice in a descending sequence and is varied slightly. The last two crotchets of Y (a falling major 3rd) are echoed before becoming an accompaniment figure to a new theme. This new theme 'Z' enters at b53 over a march-style bass line. The theme terminates with a calypso-style accompaniment before a composite theme is presented. This composite theme (bb.62-69) starts with a motif from Z (originally found in b56) and continues with the circling motif of X. This composite theme is accompanied by the calypso rhythm. At b70 Y returns setting off a pattern of falling 6ths, each one starting on a different beat of the bar. The chord pattern ascends leading back to the tonic D.

Section A (bb.74-95)
As bb.1-22

Section B (bb.96-109)
As bb.23-36

Section A (bb.110-121)
As bb.37-48

Coda (bb.122-end):
The coda section employs the trills based on a rising 4th pattern before a hint of Y returns before the final flourish.

***

The Wind Sextet Instrumentation:

Flute
Oboe
2 Clarinets
Horn
Bassoon

Selected Performances:
-(15th May, 2003) Maidenhead, UK. Sextet version performed at Furze Platt Senior School's Summer Concert.