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Dance in Telemann’s Fantasias for Solo Flute
Minuets, sarabands, bourrées, gigues, gavottes, hornpipes and polonaises. Like many other composers, Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767) used dance as a foundation for his compositions and this is no more evident than in his fantasias for flute, where we find several examples. Although the music is written for neither the ballroom, theatre nor opera, references to the baroque French court dance are clear and abundant. The music therefore invites something more than a pure listening experience, also evoking movement and corporeal responses.

When music of the 18th century is interpreted today it is not necessarily the qualities of dance which set the framework for the performance. Nor were the fantasias for flute written specifically for dance. Even though the form is free, the references to dance can still provide indications and inspiration for further ways to experience the music. One of these is tempo. If dance tune is played too slowly, the dance will be affected by it. For example, balancing on one leg and pirouetting will require a stronger technique. Too slow a tempo could lead to a certain stiffness, but a tempo can also be too fast, in which case it would be challenging for the dancer to perform all steps with the required precision.

It is not always as easy to recognise the underlying dance in the music, but given the required effort the rhythms and different characteristics of the dances can be sensed – the swing, flow and movement in the basic structures of the music can be perceived. Let your fantasy unwind, open up the creative space, and allow the music to move both body and soul!