Tres Danzas para Clavecin or Piano

Tres Danzas para Clavecin or Piano is a three-movement piece with a Spanish flavor and frenzied outer movements.  The music anticipated Harbach’s move to the Southwest with its Spanish influences.

1. Danza Flamenco begins with a whirling waltz with toccata-like sixteenth notes in the high register of the piano, and then rapidly descends to the lower range. Beginning with a trill, the flute joins with the melody while the piano again whirls down the keyboard but only halfway.

Odd juxtapositions of intervals, swiftly changing modes, sequences, clashes of seconds, interjections of 4/4 time, phrase repetitions but with different accompaniments.  The Tango in 2/4 is introduced with dotted rhythms typical of the Tango.  The right hand has clusters of chords with seconds and sevenths.  Glissandi and trills abound leading to the last section which combines the two styles Flamenco and Tango. The opening material of whirling sixteenth notes returns, and then the piece ends abruptly with a sfz staccato notes.

1. Andante para vihuelo de penole begins with the left hand of the piano resembling the sound of a plectrum-plucked Spanish Renaissance guitar. The first part has a slow-moving lyrical melody over a walking bass in the left hand. The next section is faster with a swing and a wider range.

III. Danza-Delirio is a two-part movement with a coda.  Each part has its own ostinato bass part, rapid scales, three octave glissandi, fast arpeggios, and dramatic left-hand clusters.  The coda deceptively sounds like a recapitulation, but it is whimsically truncated.