First Suite for Band, H.105
by Gustav Holst
Score - Sheet Music

Military band

SKU: SA.20787

Composed by Gustav Holst. Edited by Richard Sargeant. Suites, Original Works. Reprint Source: Edwardsville: Serenissima Music, Inc., 2015. Plate 41878. 20th Century, English. Full score. Composed 1909. 48 pages. Duration 12 minutes. Serenissima #20787. Published by Serenissima (SA.20787).

ISBN 9781608741878. 9.5 x 12.5 inches.

Gustav Holst's first excursion into music for band (known as military band at the time) was composed in 1909. Despite there being very little standardization of the instruments and number of players used in such ensembles, Holst managed to score his three-movement work in a very flexible way so that the work could be played by an ensemble with as few as 19 wind and brass players, plus percussion. Although the occasion and ensemble which motivated the work's creation remain obscure, the 'First Suite' became tremendously popular in the years after its first publication in 1921. With the advent of public school bands in the USA, the original publisher added numerous parts for instruments not found in the original manuscript and provided substitutes for some originally designated instruments which had become obsolete over the years, producing a bloated full score in 1948. Richard Sargeant's newly engraved edition goes back to Holst's small band concept, with substitutions made to match the parts disposition and timbre of original score. First issued as a study score, it is now made available in full 10 x 13 inch conductor's format. Sargeant's well-reserached edition has been welcomed by bands, wind ensembles and devoted fans of a work which is now part of the core repertoire for bands worldwide.