Dance of the Hours (Danza della ore) was composed for a ballet in the Act III finale to the 1876 opera La Gioconda. The scenario was a simple one: the depiction of the hours of the day using solo and ensemble dances. The opera was a major breakthrough for Ponchielli, and the third-act ballet soon became a favorite in the concert hall and as an independent ballet number. It's fame reached and entirely new level with its use as the background for a ballet-parody in the 1940 Disney film Fantasia, featuring dancing hippos, ostriches, alligators and elephants.

Clark McAlister's edition goes back to Ponchielli's original score and was carefully researched consulting first editions, manuscripts and performance material. Originally issued in 2007 by the defunct publisher E.F. Kalmus, we are very pleased to make this excellent edition available in a convenient size study score. The large conductor score and orchestra parts are also exclusively available from Serenissima Music.