Theodora Dutton loved to improvise, and as a child she was often in hot water over improvising when she was supposed to be practicing. Even when she was established as a composer, she would include improvization in her performances. I was really pleased to learn more about improv from Dr. Terry Klinefelter, a guest clinician at Jennifer Campbell’s’s Adult Piano Festival at the Music School of Delaware.
Dr. Klinefelter suggested improvising on a known piece, at a fermata or a long note. We worked on Theodora Dutton’s A Moonlight Dance as a starting point. It has a lovely Spanish interlude that seemed to be asking for even more freedom of expression.
The process of developing an improvisation was really absorbing and relaxing. It also developed my understanding of the structure and theory behind the piece. I added improv to my performance of A Moonlight Dance at the Celebration Concert at the end of the Festival, and the touch of spontaneity felt playful and added more life to my performance.
A Moonlight Dance was one of her most popular pieces, and it’s still a favorite from my performance lectures on Theodora Dutton. It starts with a bass melody offering an invitation, “Won’t you come out and dance with me?” Next comes a plea in A minor, and then a short Spanish part where we added some improv. After a return to the first two parts, she ends with a beautiful counterpoint where the dancers seem to be drifting off into the moonlight.
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