Howard Hanson (1896-1981) was born in Nebraska of Swedish immigrant parents and is considered by many music scholars to have been a leader of American Romanticism. With a dedication to Percy Grainger, he composed this spirited piece for piano in 1922. Recruited two years later by George Eastman to be the Director of the newly founded Eastman School of Music, Hanson served with distinction in that capacity for forty years. His impressive talents not only as a composer, but also as a conductor and an educator, made it possible for him to be a lasting influence to several generations of American composers in addition to the general populace.
Hanson’s Scandinavian heritage is exhibited through Clog Dance, for this piece does an excellent job of depicting exuberant movement to strident rhythms. The wooden soles of shoes utilized in such dances were carved of poplar most often and made quite a noisy exhibition as dancers showed off their energetic footwork while accenting certain stamping step patterns.
This arrangement is about one and one-half minutes long and is scored for three C flutes and piccolo along with alto, bass, and contrabass flutes. Two bass flutes (or a C flute and a bass flute) could cover the bass and contrabass parts if some adjustments are made regarding which octave they are playing. Also, there is a C flute part included in case an alto flute is not available.
