Gypsy Dance was composed while the composer was living in Spain. He had been working with some gypsy musicians and was intrigued by the instinct and passion that they brought to their playing. The composer also had the opportunity to watch some modern flamenco dancing and wanted to capture some of the spirited essence of this art form. In writing the piece he used two main melodic ideas and rather than develop them, they are presented in different guises as the dance moves through various episodes and builds towards a fiery climax.
