Moonbeams Dance by Carroll Gibbons needs to be played in a swing style meaning that a triplet feel needs to be communicated in performances of the music. Novelty piano succeeded the ragtime era of the early 20th century. The realisation plays back at a tempo of 110 bpm. Much novelty music was written for the piano and many of the pianists were simply wizards in terms of their skill at playing the instrument. That said there is a strong repetitive element in the musical style which enable challenges to be managed. There are many technical challenges to manage when playing this movement and they can be mastered if each is identified and practiced methodically whilst retaining a lightness in the hands. The music editor deliberately avoids putting more than one articulation marking on a note. The rôle of the left hand is to essentially play the bass and accompanying chords. The left hand stretches often involve leaps of a tenth and more and in this respect there is a connection with stride piano which is a related style also emerging from ragtime piano. Novelty piano music tends to be played at a fast tempo. The 110 quarter note beats to the minute tempo in the sheet music video score is, the music editor suggests, a rather cautious tempo. Carroll Gibbons was a American pianist, composer and band leader largely remembered for his recordings and performances in London during the 1930’s & 1940’s. A wonderful piano player there are a few video clips available on YouTube that can be viewed to observe the great facility and technique that he possessed. The music combines bass & chord with an inventive and energetic melody line. The musical ideas and figuration that feature in Moonbeams Dance are understandably pianistic and fourths are a strong feature in the repeating A section. The phrase structure generally refences the characteristic 8 bar patterns typical of music from the dance band era with which Carroll Gibbons was closely associated. A knowledge of chords and how they are described is a requirement playing this and many other popular music styles. The chromatic element is also quite strong. The sectional form of the movement can be summarised as follows: Intro A B A C D A Coda
