Dance of the Hours

The Anacrouse collection offers pianists, beginners and advanced alike, a wide choice of classical works from the Renaissance to the present day. It brings together major works of the repertoire as well as rarer pieces, and also offers transcriptions for piano solo or four hands, selected for their musical and educational interest. Each score, available individually, benefits from careful editorial work: a rigorously established musical text, clear and legible engraving, accompanied by a short biography of the composer and a note on the work.

The “Dance of the Hours” (in E major) is a true exercise in style and character. For the pianist, the challenge lies in the precision of the rhythm and the lightness of the runs. The piece demands great agility to move from one register to another, imitating the different instrumental groups of the orchestra. Work on staccatos and accents is essential to convey the bounding, choreographic aspect of the work. It is a stimulating score that develops liveliness of playing and a sense of dramatic contrast.

Taken from the opera La Gioconda (1876) by Amilcare Ponchielli (1834-1886), this dance is one of the most famous opera ballets in the world. Originally, it symbolises the eternal struggle between the forces of light and darkness through four groups of dancers representing the hours of dawn, day, dusk and night. Its immense popularity was reinforced in the 20th century by its iconic use in animated cinema (notably Walt Disney’s Fantasia). This piano transcription brings back all the energy and mischief of this essential symphonic page.