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Incitation to Desire (Tango) (Parts): Mixed Ensemble Book

$37.95 USD
$37.95 USD
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Incitation to Desire (Tango) (Parts) Cover Image
Incitation to Desire (Tango) (Parts): Mixed Ensemble Book

Incitation to Desire (Tango) (Parts): Mixed Ensemble Book

By Milton Babbitt

Item: 98-EP67596AA
$37.95
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Description

Parts only.

Incitation to Desire (Tango), for clarinet, horn (or viola), violin, violoncello, percussion and  piano (1984/1993), was originally written as a solo piano work (Edition Peters No. EP67596b) for Yvar Mikhashoff who first·performed it at the North American New Music Festival in Buffalo on April 14, 1985 and whose recording of it appears on a New Albion release in 1995.  It was originally published by Quadrivium Music Press as part of the International  Tango Collection which included 88 composers as varied as John Cage, Karlheinz Stqckhausen and Virgil Thomson.  The Skaneateles Festival. commisioned this version which was premiered on September 3, 1993 and is dedicated to pianist Robert Weirich and 'cellist Lindsay Groves. It is in one short movement starting with a brief, flashy introduction, then the tango itself entitled "In the style of a tango-canci6n" (originally a vocal form with instrumental accompaniment and strong sentimental character) with  abstracted characteristic habanera rhythmic patterns in 2/ 4 meter and sentimental melody, and then a brief, driving coda.

This chamber version explores the possibilities of the sensuousness of timbre especially in the combination of violin, 'cello, clarinet and horn and the resulting dialogues between them--like the"duets'' between violin and clarinet, horn and 'cello, the interweaving an exchange of "partners," and so on. The percussion and piano give depth to the harmony, heighten the rhythmic drive, and articulate particular colors. The title comes from H. C. Colles' "Tango" entry in the Fifth Volume of the 1944 Third Edition of Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians: "The movements of the dance are less presentable to a polite audience than those of the Habanera, and as now performed in the cafes chantants of Madrid and other cities of Spain the Tango has become nothing but an incitation to desire."

Chester Biscardi

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Additional Details
Series: Edition Peters
Publisher: EDITION PETERS
Page Count: 40
ISBN10: 0-300-74218-5
ISBN13: 979-0-300-74218-2
UPC: 9790300742182
SKU: 98-EP67596AA
Instrumentation: Mixed Instruments - Miscellaneous Ensemble

More about this title

About the Composer: Milton Babbitt

Milton Babbitt (1916-2011) was an American composer and music theorist whose work fundamentally shaped postwar concert music. A Princeton faculty member for decades, Babbitt developed serial composition techniques and became a leading voice in modernist music while maintaining a passionate commitment to music education and the performance of new work.

Why we love this

Babbitt takes the tango form seriously as a vehicle for chamber conversation rather than treating it as local color. The writing prioritizes dialogue between instruments, violin and clarinet trading ideas, horn and cello in conversation, in a way that keeps all players engaged and makes the ensemble feel like it's discovering something together. It's a piece that respects the tango's sentimental character while asking sophisticated players to think about timbre and interplay.

What to expect

Sensual and urbane, with the romantic weight of tango-canción but filtered through a modernist sensibility. The piece breathes, it never feels rushed despite its one-movement form, and the instrumental colors shift like light moving across a dance floor.

Who it's for

Advanced chamber ensembles and new music groups ready for twentieth-century harmonic language and scoring sophistication. This work suits programs emphasizing tango as a concert tradition beyond the familiar Argentine repertoire, and players comfortable with modernist idiom who value emotional directness alongside compositional rigor.

How to get the most out of it

  • Establish the habanera rhythm as your structural foundation; once the ensemble locks into that characteristic pulse, the melodic exchanges will sit naturally on top.
  • Balance the cello and horn duet carefully in the middle sections, these conversations need clarity without either voice swallowing the other.
  • Attend to the flashy introduction as a genuine orchestral moment; it sets the sensuous tone that the rest of the piece inhabits.
  • Work the dynamic shadings between the melodic instruments and the harmonic/rhythmic support from percussion and piano; they should feel like responsive partners, not accompaniment.

How to use it

Pair this with other twentieth-century chamber works or tango-inspired concert music to explore how composers reimagined the form beyond its traditional context. The piece rewards a concert dedicated to new interpretations of familiar idioms, or a chamber music series spotlight on American modernism.

Skills your students will build

  • Balancing modernist harmonic language with tango-canción melodic sensibility
  • Ensemble transparency and dialogue in six-part mixed scoring
  • Maintaining rhythmic precision in abstracted habanera patterns (2/4 meter)
  • Timbre matching and tone blending across disparate instruments

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