John Corigliano first conceived Gazebo Dances for piano, four hands. It did not receive its title, however, until he had arranged the piece for both orchestra and concert band in 1973. Each movement has a separate dedication: I. Overture, to Rose Corigliano and Etta Feinberg (both pianists); II. Waltz, to John Ardoin (a music critic); III. Adagio, to Heida Hermanns; IV. Tarantella, to Jack Romann and Christian Steiner.

Corigliano's title, Gazebo Dances, is derived from the dance music played by bands in New England country towns. These groups usually play in pavilions, or gazebos, while the public listens and dances. Three of the four movements refer to traditional types of pieces both in title and in style.

The overture, called "Rossini-like" by the composer, exhibits the contrasting moods and rhythmic buildup we associate with the Italian opera composer. Jazz elements are clear from the beginning, as are dance rhythms, suggested by the title of the piece. Aggressive chords open the overture then give way to a more tuneful segment. Repeated notes begin dominating the movement in the middle section and continue through to the end, which includes a brief reference to the initial tuneful passage that rounds out the structure.

Corigliano described the waltz movement as "peg-legged," no doubt because of its irregular accents. Unlike a genuine waltz, the stress is not always on the first beat of the 3/4 measure. Highly sectionalized and often hesitant in mood, the movement ends very quietly.

The longest movement in performance, the Adagio opens with repeated chords that help create the illusion of sustained melody. Slow and haunting, the opening theme dissolves as a more linear, double-note idea injects the music with more life, punctuated by deep bass notes. Gradually, the piece thickens as both the dynamic and dissonance increase. The tension is released as the music suddenly halts, after which bright chords descend from the highest register. Slowly and hesitantly, the linear section begins again and brings the movement to a close.

The Tarantella begins with a trochaic figure that soon accompanies the bouncy and rising main theme of this ABABA-form movement, the shortest of the four. The contrasting B section features deep bass thunder as a repeated octave figure begins in the highest register. The first return of the A material is nearly literal, while the first return of section B begins with a new idea. Corigliano drastically thickens the last A section, which closes with wild trills. Segments of this Tarantella appear in the Tarantella movement of Corigliano's Symphony No. 1.

Corigliano's Tarantella movement became tragically portentous. The tarantella has been believed, incorrectly, to be the cure for the insanity resulting from a tarantula bite (it is actually a courtship dance), because both the spider and the dance derive their names from the town of Taranto, in Southern Italy. One of the dedicatees of this movement of Gazebo Dances became insane because of AIDS dementia.

© All Music Guide