Purchasing information Notice for leaders/bass players
Length: approx. 3 mins. Sounds best with the bass doubled.
The
Dance of the Oyster and the Clam was, as can be seen from the cover of the original sheet music, inspired by or perhaps dedicated to those luscious bivalves. The parading surrealistic oyster and clam are appropriately accompanied by a banjo-playing lobster. Very tasteful indeed! As to the amusing composition itself, its form is AABCDD with a 4-bar introduction and a 16-bar interlude between the C- and D-strains whereby the AB-, C- and D-strains are written in the major keys of C, A and F respectively. In this adaptation for recorder quintet, the tootling melodies are shared by the treble and 1st tenor. The basses too have some pleasant passages - all-in-all an unusual ensemble fun piece.
The
Dance of the Oyster and the Clam was published by
Willis Woodward and Co., New York, USA.
A tempo of 80 crotchets/min. is suggested.