Galliard [in F Minor]
The Ancient Dances might be described as compositional études for keyboard (harpsichord, piano, synthesizer) in Elizabethan/Jacobean style, as they summon to mind similar works for lute and virginals written in England during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries by such composers as John Dowland, Anthony Holborne, William Byrd, and John Bull. It would be more accurate, however, to consider the pieces in the collection--each of which bears the distinctive stamp of Ford's individual creativity--as fresh, musically mature essays about one of the most artistically brilliant eras in Western history.
As an advocate of the concept of panhistoricism, Ford seeks to empower composers by encouraging them to draw upon various historical styles in the interest of exploring, interpreting, and illuminating the full spectrum of human experience. With the exception of the two corrantos (which date from 1975-76), the Ancient Dances were composed during and shortly after the composer's study of renaissance music with Professor John Ward at Harvard University. The last four dances in the set comprise two pavan/galliard pairs, whereas the other pieces may be performed individually or grouped together into miniature suites. In accordance with renaissance practice, tempos, dynamics, phrasing, and other interpretive elements are left to the discretion of the individual player.
The Galliard in F Minor bears all the hallmarks of a traditional work in this genre: three sections in triple meter, each with a varied reprise; emphasis on the first beat by prolonging it with a dot; flowing figuration; etc. But Ford has invested this piece with a peculiar vigor through effective use of imitative counterpoint in the central section and some unusual syncopation right before the final cadence.