SECOND SUITE IN F - Movements I, II, III, IV.

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THE COMPLETE PERFORMANCE OF GUSTAV HOLST'S 'SECOND SUITE IN F FOR MILITARY BAND' (1911), IS PERFORMED BY THE BEAUMONT FRENCH HIGH SCHOOL BAND. THIS WAS ONE OF OUR CONCERT PIECES FOR UIL CONTEST (CLASS 4A), RECORDED ABOUT 2 WEEKS BEFORE CONTEST.

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Symphonic Band Performances

Contemporary band compositions, classical music arrangements, marches, jazz, symphonies, overtures. A collection from bands that I have played in throughout hi

Hello and welcome! "Symphonic Band Performances" is a compilation of recordings from several high school and college bands that I played in including the TMEA (Texas) All State Band, the TMEA Region X All Region Band, the Interlochen Arts Academy National Music Camp, the Cal Poly Tech Band, San Luis Obispo, the USAF Golden West Band, and recordings from my h.s. band, Beaumont H.S. and a few band recordings that were passed down to me. Also included are various All State groups and college and university bands. I participated and played in the large majority of these recordings. There are no professional recordings here and every recording is Public Domain. Most are available for free download. Each song has been converted from the original analog or digital source and edited with Audacity or Dak software. In the majority of these recordings, I play the tenor sax or alto sax, b flat or e flat clarinet, or directing. I was drum major for 2 years in high school, I have a BA from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where I studied music ed, composition and theory. I had about 500 more recordings I was planning to digitize and upload, but this past Nov. 20th, my home was completely destroyed by fire, and all the contents, including all my music and instruments. So, this is it. Please feel free to post a comment here or on my member page. If you like, please become a fan by clicking "I'm a fan" below.

Song Info

Genre

Classical • Symphonic

Charts

Peak #56

Peak in subgenre #7

Rights

public domain

Uploaded

October 06, 2009

Track Files

MP3

MP3 11.1 MB • 134 kbps • 11:35

Story behind the song

The Second Suite in F for Military Band (Op. 28, No. 2) is Gustav Holst's second and last suite for band. Although performed less frequently than the First Suite in E-flat, it is still a staple of the band literature. The Second Suite is longer and considered more difficult to play than its sister suite. During Holst's earlier years as a composer, he took interest in writing pieces based on folk music. His contemporary Ralph Vaughan Williams had based his English Folk Song Suite on English folk tunes. Holst followed suit with the Second Suite. Seven folk tunes are compressed into the four movements of the suite.

Movement I: "March: Morris dance, Swansea Town, Claudy Banks"
The "March" of the Second Suite begins with a simple five note motif between the low and high instruments of the band. The first folk tune is heard in the form of a traditional British Brass Band march using the motif which is derived from the folk song "Morris Dance". After a brief climax, the second strain begins with a euphonium solo playing the second folk tune in the suite "Swansea Town". The theme is repeated by the full band before the trio. For the trio, Holst modulates to the unconventional sub-dominant minor of B-flat minor and changes the time signature to 6/8 thereby changing the meter. (Usually one would modulate to sub-dominant major in traditional march form. While Sousa, reputably the "king of marches", would sometimes change time signatures for the trio (most notably in "El Capitan"), it was not commonplace.) The third theme, called "Claudy Banks", is heard in a low woodwind soli, as is standard march orchestration. Then the first strain is repeated da capo.                        

Movement II: "Song Without Words, 'I'll Love My Love'"
Holst places the fourth folk song, "I Love My Love" in stark contrast to the first movement. Being a mournful piece, a clarinet and oboe solo plays the theme over a flowing accompaniment in F minor. The movement slowly builds up with an added trumpet solo forming an arc of intensity.                                                             

Movement III: "Song of the Blacksmith"
Again, Holst contrasts the slow second movement to the rather upbeat third movement which features the folk song "Song of the Blacksmith". The brass section plays in a pointillistic style depicting a later Holst style. There are many time signature changes (4/4 to 3/4) making the movement increasingly difficult because the brass section has all of their accompaniment on the up-beats of each measure. The upper-woodwinds and horns join on the melody around the body of the piece, and is accompanied with the sound of a blacksmith tempering metal with an anvil called for in the score. The final D major chord has a glorious, heavenly sound, which opens way to the final movement. This chord works so effectively perhaps because it is unexpected because the entire movement is in F major when the music suddenly moves to the major of the relative minor. 
                                                               
Movement IV: "Fantasia on the Dargason"
The finale of the suite opens with an alto saxophone solo based on the folk song "Dargason", a 17th century English dance tune from the first edition of The Dancing Master. The fantasia continues through several variations encompasing the full capabilities of the band. The final folk song, Greensleeves, is cleverly woven through the fantasia through mixed meters with the Dargason being in 6/8 and Greensleeves being in 3/4. Upon the climax of the movement, the two competing themes are placed in competing sections. As the movement dies down, a tuba and piccolo duet forms a call back to the beginning of the suite with the competition of low and high registers.

Holst later rearranged and rescored this movement for string orchestra, as the final movement of his St Paul's Suite (1912), which he wrote for his music students at St Paul's Girls' School.

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RobCovington

Apr 29, 2018

Very nice performance of this tune. Which year was this and who was the director at FHS that year? Thanks.