First Suite in E-flat - Wind Repertory Project 3/18/23, 2:13 PM

First Suite in E-flat

Gustav Holst (ed. Colin Matthews)

Contents
General Info
Movements (played without pause)
Instrumentation
Errata
Program Notes
Media
State Ratings
Performances
Works for Winds by This Composer Gustav Holst

Resources

General Info
Year: 1909 / 1922 / 1984
Duration: c. 10:45
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. (http://www.boosey.com/shop/prod/Holst-Gustav-First-Suite-in
-Eb-Revised-Symphonic-Band-Score-Parts/602124)
Cost: Score and Parts - $115.00 | Score Only - $15.50

For further availability information, see Discussion tab, above (https://www.windrep.org/Talk:Fir

st_Suite_in_E-flat).

Movements (played without pause)

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First Suite in E-flat - Wind Repertory Project 3/18/23, 2:13 PM

1. Chaconne - 4:45
2. Intermezzo - 2:55
3. March - 3:00

Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
C Flute
Oboe I-II (II optional)
Bassoon I-II (second part optional)
E-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II (II optional)
B-flat Soprano Clarinet Solo-I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet (optional)
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone (optional)
B-flat Bass Saxophone (optional)
B-flat Cornet Solo-I-II
B-flat Trumpet I-II (both parts optional)
Horn in F I-II-III-IV (III-IV optional)
Trombone I-II-III (II optional)
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass (optional)
Timpani (optional)
Percussion (2-3 players), including:

Bass Drum
Crash Cymbals
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal
Tambourine
Triangle

Convenience parts in set but not in score:

E-flat Alto Clarinet (optional)

B-flat Contrabass Clarinet (optional)
B-flat Flugelhorn I-II (optional)

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Errata
N.B. Many of these errors have been corrected in later printings.

Movement I

Flute/Piccolo, m.41 (Letter B): last 16th note of beat two should be an F, not a G (score is correct)
Bass Clarinet, m.111 (3 bars before Letter F): 4th note should be an F, not an E (score is correct)
Bass Saxophone, m.55 (2 bars before Letter C): last 8th note is a G, not an E (both score and
part are incorrect)
Horn in F I, m.57: Rehearsal Letter C should be here (NOT 14 measures later, score is correct)
Horn in F I, m.97: Rehearsal Letter E should be here (NOT 1 measure later, score is correct)
Trombone I, m.26 (2 bars after Letter A): add "solo" to part.
Trombone I, m.31 (7 bars after Letter A): add "tutti" to part.
Percussion, m.114: Rehearsal Letter F and "Maestoso" should be here (NOT 1 measure later,
score is correct)
Percussion, m.131 (last measure): Cymbal dynamic should be fff, not ff (score is correct)

Movement II

Oboe I-II, m.103 (6 bars before Letter E): add slur from from half note to beat one in upper part
(both score and part are incorrect)
E-flat Soprano Clarinet, m.92 (10 bars after Letter D): in upper part, last 2 8th notes are G-F, not
F-E
B-flat Clarinet II, m.129 (7 bars after Letter F): add "tutti" on beat 4
B-flat Clarinet II, m.141 (second to last bar): first note of beat 3 is a D, not an E
Bass Clarinet, m.109 (Letter E): 16th flag missing on 2nd note.
Bassoon I-II, m.1: Time signature should be 2/4, not 3/4 (score is correct)
Bassoon I-II, m.67 (Letter C): part only has 2 beats, there should be 4 (score is correct)
Horn in F III, m.27 (2 bars after Letter A): dynamic is missing - should be piano
Euphonium, m.103 (6 bars before Letter E): last 8th note is F, not G (note - same error exists in
treble clef part) (Note, there is some dispute about this. The source of this passage in the 1921
British edition Baritone (treble clef), a separate part, has an A (concert G)
String Bass, m.142 (last measure): add "pizz."
Percussion, m.105 and 108: add half note triangle part in each measure

Movement III

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First Suite in E-flat - Wind Repertory Project 3/18/23, 2:13 PM

Trumpet I, m.1: second note is E, not C

Baritone Saxophone & Euphonium, m.51: second half note is concert F, not concert A-flat
Basses, m.72 (Letter B): Letter B should be one measure earlier at m. 71
Horn III, m.105-106 (9/10 bars after Letter C): A-naturals, not A-flats
Euphonium, m.118 (5 bars before Letter D): last note is G, first line, not D (note - same error
exists in treble clef part)
Basses, m.154: second note is B-natural, not B-flat (both octaves)

Program Notes
2009 marks the 100th anniversary of the First Suite in E-flat by Gustav Holst, now considered one
of the masterworks and cornerstones of the band literature. Although completed in 1909, the suite
didn't receive its official premiere until 11 years later on June 23rd, 1920, by an ensemble of 165
musicians at the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall. However, the work was originally
conceived to be performed by ensembles significantly smaller than the one at Kneller Hall. During
this time period there was no standardized instrumentation among the hundreds of British military
bands of the day, and as a result no significant literature had been previously written for the band
medium; most British bands up to then performed arrangements of popular orchestral pieces. In
order to ensure the suite would be accessible to as many bands as possible, Holst ingeniously scored
the work so that it could be played by a minimum of 19 musicians, with 16 additional parts that could
be added or removed without compromising the integrity of the work.

There are three movements in the suite: Chaconne, Intermezzo, and March. Holst writes, “As each
movement is founded on the same phrase, it is requested that the suite be played right through
without a break.” Indeed, the first three notes of the Chaconne are Eb, F and C, and the first three
notes of the melody when it first appears in the Intermezzo are Eb, F, and C. In the third movement,
March, Holst inverts the motive: The first note heard in the brilliant opening brass medley is an Eb,
but instead of rising, it descends to a D, and then a G; the exact opposite of the first two movements.

The Chaconne begins with a ground bass reminiscent of those written by Henry Purcell or William
Byrd. It is performed by tuba, euphonium and string bass and is repeated throughout the ensemble
sixteen full times as varying instrumental textures and variations of the theme are layered within it.
Following a delicately scored chamber setting of the theme, the music steadily builds to a brilliant Eb
Major chord that concludes the movement.

The Intermezzo is light and brisk and features soloistic passages for the cornet, oboe and clarinet.
Holst prominently displays the agility and sensitivity of the wind band through transparent textures
and passages where the melody and accompaniment are woven into a variety of instrumental settings.

The March begins suddenly. It consists of two themes, the first of which, performed by brass choir
and percussion, is a march light in character. The second theme is dominated by the woodwinds and
is composed of a long, lyrical line reminiscent of the original Chaconne melody. The movement
concludes with both themes intertwining as the band crescendos to a climax.

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- Program Note by Esmail Khalili

Gustav Holst’s First Suite in E-flat for Military Band occupies a legendary position in the wind
band repertory and can be seen, in retrospect, as one of the earliest examples of the modern wind
band instrumentation still frequently performed today. Its influence is so significant that several
composers have made quotation or allusion to it as a source of inspiration to their own works.

Holst began his work with Chaconne, a traditional Baroque form that sets a series of variations over a
ground bass theme. That eight-measure theme is stated at the outset in tubas and euphoniums and, in
all, fifteen variations are presented in quick succession. The three pitches that begin the work -- E-flat,
F, and B-flat, ascending -- serve as the generating cell for the entire work, as the primary theme of
each movement begins in exactly the same manner. Holst also duplicated the intervallic content of
these three pitches, but descended, for several melodic statements (a compositional trick not
dissimilar to the inversion process employed by the later serialist movement, which included such
composers as Schoenberg and Webern). These inverted melodies contrast the optimism and bright
energy of the rest of the work, typically introducing a sense of melancholy or shocking surprise. The
second half of the Chaconne, for instance, presents a somber inversion of the ground bass that
eventually emerges from its gloom into the exuberant final variations.

The Intermezzo, which follows is a quirky rhythmic frenzy that contrasts everything that has preceded
it. This movement opens in C minor, and starts and stops with abrupt transitions throughout its
primary theme group. The contrasting midsection is introduced with a mournful melody, stated in F
Dorian by the clarinet before being taken up by much of the ensemble. At the movement’s conclusion,
the two sections are woven together, the motives laid together in complementary fashion in an
optimistic C major.

The March that follows immediately begins shockingly, with a furious trill in the woodwinds
articulated by aggressive statements by brass and percussion. This sets up the lighthearted and
humorous mood for the final movement, which eventually does take up the more reserved and
traditional regal mood of a British march and is simply interrupted from time to time by an uncouth
accent or thunderous bass drum note. The coda of the work makes brief mention of elements from
both the Chaconne and Intermezzo before closing joyfully.

- Program Note by Jacob Wallace for the Baylor Wind Ensemble concert program, 19 December
2014

Media
Audio CD: Dallas Wind Symphony (Howard Dunn, conductor) (http://www.amazon.com/Holst-Ha
mmersmith-Moorside-Suite-flat/dp/B00000158L/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1202261425
&sr=1-1)
Audio CD: Eastman Wind Ensemble (Donald Hunsberger, conductor) (http://www.amazon.com/E

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