Though he is perhaps best known as a choral composer, Charles Villiers Stanford also wrote fine keyboard pieces. Born in Dublin, educated set dates from 1918; No 1 appeared in issue 72 and No 3 in issue 78. In total, the whole set takes just six minutes to perform! : A form of English folk dance, the Morris dance is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers in costume, usually wearing bell pads on their shins and/or shoes. So maintain a good tempo in order to bring out the rhythmic quality of the dance, always with a slight emphasis on the first note of the bar. Make sure to bring out all accents and staccatos. Dynamic contrast is needed between the first two bars and the following two bars (the LH to remain very quiet in the latter). The melody appears in the LH at bar 16, so bring it to the fore. Bar 21 surprisingly intruduces a Bb, so make sure to highlight the accidental. Pedalling is not required.
