"Snap!" is another work in Michael Daugherty's oeuvre which pays homage to an American popular icon. The inspiration for "Snap!" is James Cagney, specifically his tap dancing in the 1937 film Something to Sing About. The large chamber ensemble used in "Snap!" features two cymbals placed on opposite sides of the stage, mimicking the arrangement of jazz bands in that film's opening tap-dancing scene. The piece itself celebrates the art of tap in a classical context. It opens with an arresting, syncopated rhythmic motive which acts as the basic material for the entire work. The motive begins in the trumpets, and moves through the other sections of the ensemble gradually. Much of the work is contrapuntal, as Daugherty sets up small, quick canons on various permutations of the motive using different sections of the ensemble. The cymbals beat out an ongoing rhythmic commentary. Eventually, the orchestra recedes completely except for a single treble note, while the cymbals beat out the motive, unaltered, in its entirety. While "Snap!" is certainly not a programmatic imitation of anything, Daugherty nevertheless captures the spirit of James Cagney's dancing and of Golden Age Hollywood in this likable work.



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