Clocking In with Ponchielli's Danza delle Ore
The Best Moments
La Gioconda, opera in four acts (1876): Danza delle ore (Act III)
I'm Amilcare Ponchielli, and these are the best moments of my Danza delle Ore. You'll hear a whole day pass in a few minutes, from the first harp at dawn to the boisterous can-can that brings the morning back. Here on this site, my fellow composers and I also teach you to recognize our pieces when they play, so give the Trainer a go and see.
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Harps Clear Their Throats
I start the Dance of the Hours at dawn, with harps rippling upward like someone tapping the day gently on the shoulder. Then the strings drift in with shimmering chords, and the whole orchestra seems to stretch and blink before it has found its slippers.
The Tune You Secretly Know
When I bring in the daytime, the woodwinds start playing little pranks, and then the famous melody arrives, the one you already know even if you swear you don't. At dusk that tune comes back once more, and later the cellos sing a smooth, slow melody through the night, as if the orchestra had finally lowered its voice.
Sunrise With a Kick
I finish with a bright sunrise in the strings, and you might think that means a quiet, dignified ending. Instead the daytime tune comes back as a boisterous can-can, and it sends the crowd home happy, which is exactly what a good ending should do.
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Well, that brings us to the end of the day, and I hope it felt like a good one. Did you enjoy learning about the best moments of Danza delle Ore? I like to think of it as a small journey from one sunrise to the next, and it's one I never get tired of making. There's still plenty more to explore in Danza delle Ore. I haven't said much yet about where it sits in La Gioconda, or about how it slipped out of the opera house and into cartoons, parodies and films, and each of those stories is well worth a look. If you'd like to keep going, please click on the links provided and wander a little further. The next time you hear that famous daytime melody, I hope you'll smile, because now you know where it comes from.