Appearing in the wake of the extremely successful English Dances, the 4 Scottish Dances were composed early in 1957 for the BBC Light Music Festival. They were first performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, under Arnold's direction, at London's Royal Festival Hall on June 8, 1957. A popular arrangement of the Dances for brass band was made by Ray Farr in 1984.

Parts of the opening dance, a strathspey, are in a swinging, moderately slow tempo. The other parts, in a quicker tempo, are enlivened by some fast tonguing by the trumpets and trombones. A lighthearted reel follows; with a main theme derived from a Robert Burns song, this dance began life as part of Arnold's score for the 1949 film The Beautiful Country of Ayr. The third dance is something of a nature portrait, its lovely slow tune played by the flute over a wash of strings and decorations from the harp. Featuring a drone-like the first dance, the finale is brief but lively, in the manner of a highland fling, with a busy side drum contributing to the excitement with which the set ends.

© All Music Guide

Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.