Incantation and Dance

Musical piece by John Barnes Chance

Incantation and Dance is a piece composed by John Barnes Chance in 1960 as his first work for wind ensemble.[1] Before it was published in 1963, it went under the working title of Nocturne and Dance. It has become a cornerstone work in wind ensemble literature.[2][3]

Chance wrote it during his tenure in Greensboro as part of the Ford Foundation's Young Composer Project and dedicated the piece to Herbert Hazelman and the Greensboro Senior High School Band.[4]

The piece is written in three cycles, each containing the "Incantation" theme, a "percussion concerto", and the "Dance" theme. The third cycle has these three sections played simultaneously rather than in succession. During the "percussion concerto" section, each percussion instrument introduces the rhythmic motifs that appear during the "Dance" section. This acts as a bridge between the "Incantation" and "Dance" sections.[5]

## Instrumentation

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The work is scored for the following band:[6]

Woodwinds

Piccolo
2 Flutes
Oboe
Bassoon
3 Clarinets in B♭
Alto clarinet in E♭
Bass clarinet in B♭
Contrabass clarinet in B♭
2 Alto saxophones
Tenor saxophone
Baritone saxophone

Brass

4 Trumpets
4 Horns in F
2 Tenor trombones
Bass trombone
Baritone
Tuba

Strings

String bass

Percussion

Timpani
Maracas
Temple blocks
Gong
Claves
Tambourine
Cymbals
Gourd
Timbales
Bongos
Bass drum
Whip

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## References

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1. ^ Anthony 1981, p. 43.
2. ^ Jeffery 1988, p. 138.
3. ^ Kish, David L. (Fall 2005). "A Band Repertoire Has Emerged". Journal of Band Research. 41 (1): 1–12, 88–89.
4. ^ Jeffery 1988, p. 128.
5. ^ Kopetz, Barry E. (October 1992). "An Analysis of Chance's Incantation and Dance". The Instrumentalist. Vol. 47, no. 3\. pp. 34–47.
6. ^ Chance, John Barnes (1963). Incantation and Dance [score]. Boosey & Hawkes. OCLC 613270406.

### Bibliography

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* Anthony, Donald Allen (1981). The Published Band Compositions of John Barnes Chance (DME dissertation). University of Southern Mississippi. OCLC 17606821.
* Jeffery, Harold L. (1988). The Career of Herbert. R. Hazelman: Public School Bandmaster (PDF) (EdD dissertation). University of North Carolina at Greensboro. OCLC 19909093.

## External links

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* Recording by the United States Air Force Heartland of America Band