Dance the Joy! (A Toccata for Organ) is an energetic, one-movement piece of approximately four minutes in length. Composed in March 2004, Dance the Joy! is dedicated to David Titterington (Head of the Organ Department, Royal Academy of Music, London), the outstanding organist responsible for the commission of the piece. Following a dramatic opening glissando in the manuals, rhythmic fanfare-like statements abound, and the primary melodic idea for Dance the Joy! quickly enters in the pedal. Though remaining energetic, a softer, playful middle section soon emerges, which gradually builds to a return to the composition’s main idea as it is varied through several different key centers. Following chordal statements summing up all key centers used in the composition, a pedal glissando leads to a partial restatement of the main melodic idea, bringing the piece to a vibrant close.
Dan Locklair
March 2004
Winston-Salem, NC
USA
Dance the Joy! is published in the United Music Publishers (UK) volume, Organworks! (David Titterington, ed.)