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【Kero】 Score Sheet 譜 樂譜 谱 乐谱 Partitura 楽譜付き
Holst First Suite Op.28 No.1 28-1 in E flat major for military band
Movement 2: "Intermezzo"
霍爾斯特 第一組曲 降E大調
霍尔斯特 第一组曲 降E大调
Holst First Suite en mi mayor
ホルスト 吹奏楽 のための 組曲 第1番 変ホ長調
Classical music Música clásica クラッシック 古典音樂 古典音乐
#Holst #Suite #First
Holst First Suite Op.28 No.1 in E flat major
Movement 1: "Chaconne"
Movement 2: "Intermezzo"
Movement 3: "March"
The First Suite in E♭ for Military Band, Op. 28, No. 1, by the British composer Gustav Holst is considered one of the cornerstone masterworks in the concert band repertoire. Officially premiered in 1920 at the Royal Military School of Music, the manuscript was originally completed in 1909. Along with the subsequent Second Suite in F for Military Band, written in 1911 and premiered in 1922, the First Suite convinced many other prominent composers that serious music could be written specifically for band.
Bands first evolved in the military, with the Royal Artillery Band being formed in 1557, but at the turn of the 20th Century the term "military band" was being applied to any ensemble that incorporated woodwinds, brass and percussion, including civilian bands organised by local police, fire brigades, and even industrial firms.
The majority of music played by British military bands around this time consisted of popular music and orchestral transcriptions. No serious music had yet been composed specifically for the band medium, and there was no standardised instrumentation. The lack of a set instrumentation was a major obstacle for composers, in addition to the pervasive belief that an ensemble of assorted wind instruments lacked the tonal cohesiveness to produce significant music.
The Suite in E♭ was Holst's first composition written for military band. Frederick Fennell, in Time and the Winds, observes that Holst's scoring for the work is so well conceived and organised for the band medium, that he must have had some previous experiences with groups of this kind. Indeed, Holst was himself a formidable trombonist, having already performed several seasons with the Scottish Orchestra prior to the composition of the suite. In addition, while still in college, he performed during the summers with various seaside bands, and was admittedly unsatisfied with the music that those ensembles performed. Even though these experiences likely contributed to the composition of the suite, there is no recorded commission for the work, and the reason for Holst's writing of the suite is unknown.
In addition to being a serious work written for band, the orchestration of the suite was tailored to handle the inherent challenges of the military band. As there was no standardised instrumentation, Holst scored the suite for 19 instruments, with 17 remaining parts labelled "ad lib.", meaning they were unnecessary for performance. As most British military bands of the day employed between 20 and 30 musicians, the 19 required parts could reasonably be expected to be covered, and the remaining parts could be added or discarded as needed without disturbing the integrity of the work.
The First Suite was a catalysing force that convinced many other prominent composers that serious music could be written specifically for the combination of woodwinds, percussion and brass. Works such as the English Folk Song Suite (1923) of Ralph Vaughan Williams and the William Byrd Suite (1923) of Gordon Jacob are leading examples.
The piece was later arranged for brass band by Sydney Herbert, and this arrangement has been used as a contest set test piece on numerous occasions, including for the British regional brass band championships in 1970, 1983 and 2019.
The First Suite has three movements, each with its own character and form. It is not apparent from the score, but Holst let it be known that the three movements should follow each other without a break. The complete composition is based upon an eight-bar melody reminiscent of English folk song; however, the tune is original to Holst.
Most notably, the theme statement that initiates the first movement is developed throughout each movement.
Its variations range in style from lyrical to playfully rhythmic to ornamentally embellished.
Movement 2: "Intermezzo"
Nearly all of this movement is devoted to a rhythmic and well-articulated oboe, clarinet and cornet solo. The exploitation of wind band tone colour combinations flavour this movement. While the movement is predominantly light in character, the clarinet has a stirring solo, which is later repeated by other voices:
Then, the euphonium (or alto clarinet) takes us back to the first theme. Finally the second theme is played in a major key while the upper woodwinds play their virtuosic semiquavers, and diminishes to the lowest possible volume.
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