Poulaines were the medieval shoes with long pointed (and sometimes curled) toes. The title therefore evokes both the medieval feel of the piece and, because of the asymmetrical 5/8 meter, perhaps the ungainliness of such a fashion faux pas. 5/8 is in fact one of my favorite time signatures, particularly because of the way you can manipulate the 3+2 division into 2+3 to give a melody a lovely rhythmic impulse.

The piece makes use of singing (in unison or at any convenient octave) into the recorder, mainly in accompaniment parts, shown with diamond noteheads. This is done to broaden the timbral range of the piece. It is not a representation of the groans of those who wore the poulaines, though archeology suggests that bunions were frequent in the era when the shoes were popular. In this piece you should use a gentle voice that just slightly colors the recorder sound. Some of my other pieces (The Voice of the Crocodile, for instance) require a more aggressive vocal sound. If you don’t feel confident singing into your recorder, the piece will work perfectly well if just played straight. But I do encourage you to give it a go.

Performance note: Whenever a piece is called a dance, always think about how you would move to it. Embodying the feel of the dance will help create the right musical effect.

This Members’ Library Edition is made possible by special arrangement of fellow Australian Geoffrey Burgess, editor of American Recorder, and by a generous donation by retiring ARS Board members Phil Hollar, Natalie Lebert, Carol Mishler and Judy Smutek, who are thrilled to leave a new piece of music in their legacy for the ARS membership.

Geoffrey’s notes: When Ben and I were students at Sydney University, Ben was forever writing music, exploring a wide range of instruments and genres. I invited him to compose a trio for 2 oboes and English horn. At the time we were in the heady world of Wagner analysis, and he wrote a spoof on the Tristan prelude. In inimitable Benjamin Thorn style, he turned the tortured chromatic theme into a lively gigue! I knew he would create a vibrant Members’ Library Edition. I hope you have as much fun with Dance of the Poulaines as we did with our Tristan mockery.