🇺🇸William L. Gillock ： Accent On 2 Baroque Style “Majestic Sarabande”

Gillock’s “Majestic Sarabande” is a character piece that evokes the calm movement and dignity of a Baroque-style dance. Within its spacious flow of beats, the shaping of the melody and the support of the accompaniment create the music’s expressive character. Paying attention to the unity of each phrase and to the balance between the principal melody, inner voices, and bass reveals the rich sonority within its concise writing. One of its attractions is the way the sonorities of the different sections build in depth while preserving a majestic impression toward the close. In performance, avoid rushing, feel the beat broadly, and place each note with care; treating smaller movements calmly helps maintain both elegance and natural flow. Shape dynamics not only through volume, but also through the relative prominence of the voices and the direction of each phrase.