The Miller's Dance

The Miller's Dance
by Manuel de Falla
Native name	Danza del molinero
Genre	Ballet excerpt
Form	Dance
Published	1919
Duration	approx. 3 minutes
Premiere
Date	July 22, 1919
Location	Alhambra Theatre, London

The Miller's Dance (Danza del molinero) is a well-known orchestral excerpt from The Three-Cornered Hat (El sombrero de tres picos), a ballet composed by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla in 1919. The piece is celebrated for its vivid rhythms and Spanish folk influence, especially from Andalusian flamenco traditions.

Background

The Three-Cornered Hat was commissioned by the impresario Sergei Diaghilev and choreographed by Léonide Massine, with set and costume design by Pablo Picasso. The ballet premiered at the Alhambra Theatre in London on July 22, 1919, performed by the Ballets Russes.

The Miller’s Dance occurs in the second act and is performed by the character of the miller, expressing his defiance and anger through a zapateado-inspired solo, a traditional Spanish percussive dance characterized by heel-stomping.

Music

The piece is in a fast 3/8 meter and is structured in a ternary ABA form. It features dramatic dynamics, syncopated rhythms, and striking use of percussion. It remains one of Falla's most frequently performed concert excerpts.

Arrangements

Over the decades, The Miller’s Dance has been arranged for a wide variety of solo instruments and ensembles due to its rhythmic vitality and character.

• A celebrated transcription for solo guitar was created by Emilio Pujol, bringing the piece into the core Spanish classical guitar repertoire.

• An arrangement for piano solo was made by the composer himself, preserving the percussive nature of the original through keyboard articulation.

• Italian violist and composer Marco Misciagna arranged the piece for solo viola. His virtuosic adaptation preserves the rhythmic drive of the original while exploring the expressive depth of the viola.

• A duet version for violin and piano attributed to Fritz Kreisler exists, though authorship is debated. It emphasizes lyrical phrasing within the dance’s fiery rhythm.

• Numerous orchestral suites extracted from the full ballet have been published, many of which include The Miller’s Dance as a highlight.

Discography

Several landmark recordings of The Miller’s Dance have contributed to its popularity outside the ballet.

• Ernest Ansermet conducting the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, considered a reference interpretation (Decca, 1957).

• Charles Dutoit with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, praised for its precision and color (Decca, 1991).

• Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos with the Philharmonia Orchestra, emphasizing Spanish character (EMI, 1963).

In popular culture

The Miller’s Dance has occasionally appeared in media and advertising:

• The piece was featured in the BBC documentary Spain: In the Shadow of the Sun, used to evoke Andalusian culture.

• A shortened version was used in a TV advertisement by SEAT in the early 2000s, playing on Spanish identity.

Legacy

The Miller's Dance is now frequently performed as a standalone concert work and remains an emblem of early 20th-century Spanish nationalism in music. Its distinctive rhythm and dramatic flair ensure its place in both the classical and popular imagination.

See also

• Manuel de Falla
• The Three-Cornered Hat

External links

• Danza del molinero: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project