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Dance of the Hours (Italian: Danza delle ore) is a short ballet and is the act 3 finale of the opera La Gioconda composed by Amilcare Ponchielli. It depicts the hours of the day through solo and ensemble dances.
Dance of the Hours, musical episode from Act III, scene 2, of Amilcare Ponchielli’s opera La gioconda that is often performed as a stand-alone orchestral work. In its original context—as a balletic interlude to entertain a party—it (and the entire opera) premiered in Milan on April 8, 1876.
- Betsy Schwarm
The song finds its origin in Ponchielli’s opera La Gioconda, specifically in Act 3. While the rest of the opera may not have gained as much recognition, it is the Dance Of The Hours that has captured the hearts of audiences throughout history. And for good reason.
May 19, 2018 · It depicts the hours of the day through solo and ensemble dances. The opera was first performed in 1876 and was revised in 1880. Later performed on its own, the Dance of the Hours...
- 10 min
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- Bartje Bartmans
Oct 22, 2015 · The “Dance of the Hours” is structured in five parts, each representing a portion of the day: dawn, day, dusk, night, and the return of the morning. After a brief introduction, harp arpeggios introduce the shimmering string chords that herald the arrival of the dawn.
The opera contains the famous ballet Dance of the Hours as the third act finale. It was first produced in 1876 and revised several times. The version that has become popular today was first given in 1880. In 1876 he started working on I Mori di Valenza, although the project dates back to 1873.
The Dance of the Hours originates as a ballet sequence within Ponchielli's major operatic hit, La Gioconda. Popular in its own time, it is the only Italian 'grand opera', aside from Verdi's Aida, to have remained within the repertoire.
