Points and Dances (Davies)

Points and Dances is one of the two compositions based on Taverner, the other being the Second Fantasia on John Taverner's "In Nomine". It was completed in 1970,[1] probably as Davies was re-composing the opera, which was partially lost in a fire in 1969. It was premiered a year before the original opera, on February 20, 1971, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, by the Fires of London with Davies himself as the conductor.[2] It was then published by Boosey & Hawkes in 1978.[2]

The suite is divided into two parts and a total of eight dances. Each part has a different scoring and structure. A typical performance takes around 18 minutes.[3][4] The structure of part one consists of three movements. Part two, however, is divided into thirteen movements, that is, five dances and eight musical interludes played by the different keyboards.[4] The structure is as follows:

• Act I

• Act II

The scoring for Act I and Act II are different: for Act I, the piece calls for an alto flute, a clarinet, a guitar, a harpsichord, a viola, and a cello; for Act II, a piccolo, a clarinet, a double bassoon, a trumpet, an alto trombone, a positive organ, a regal, and a pair of small tuned drums.[3][2][4]

Movements from Act I are meant to be played attacca. However, the music from the different movements in Act II emerges from the preceding movement each time and, as such, there is no proper movement separation. Both dances and keyboard interludes begin before the preceding movement has finished, often entering on beats other than the first in the bar. In the case of movement VI, the keyboard plays over most of the duration of the preceding movement.[4]