Pavan [in C 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 Pavan in C Minor relies primarily on simple but effective melodic and contrapuntal means to carry forth its heartfelt musical message, growing more ornamental only in the varied reprises of its second and third sections. The last strain is especially touching as it is sung in a higher register than the earlier sections of the pavan.