Moorside March, A (5-Part Flex Band Gr. 3.5) [Holst]

Holst composed A Moorside Suite for brass band in 1928. It is in three movements, this March being preceded by a Scherzo and Nocturne. It is an extraordinary mature work for band from a master composer. There is very little fortissimo writing and there are no semiquavers at all. Instead, Holst has written clean melodic lines with each part being woven into a texture based on the modal lines of English folk music; but these represent its stylistic origin rather than using actual folk tunes as in Holst’s earlier band writing. The “March” is stirring and flowing and is an ideal standalone piece to open or close any concert or festival program.

Genre: 5-Part Flex Band | # of Players: 5+
Series: The SpectraFlex Series
Level: 3.5 | Duration: 4:20

Instrumentation
Transposed Score (showing all transposed parts)
Condensed Score (only "C" parts)

Adaptable Parts
(2 copies of each of all parts for each listed instrument)

Part 1: Flute/Oboe, B-flat Clarinet/Trumpet

Part 2: B-flat Clarinet/Trumpet, E-flat Alto Saxophone

Part 3: B-flat Clarinet/Trumpet, E-flat Alto Saxophone, F Horn

Part 4: B-flat Tenor Saxophone, F Horn, Trombone/Euphonium/Bassoon

Part 5: B-flat Tenor Saxophone, F Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Bassoon

Part 6: B-flat Bass Clarinet, E-flat Baritone Saxophone, Trombone, Euphonium, Bassoon, Tuba, Double Bass

Percussion Parts (100% optional)
Timpani (4 drums)
Glockenspiel
Percussion [2 players]: Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Crash Cymbals, Triangle

Program Notes
Gustav Holst (1874-1934) can claim a distinction shared with a relatively small number of composers in that his music is performed more now than it was during his lifetime. Holst composed A Moorside Suite for brass band in 1928. It is in three movements, this March being preceded by a Scherzo and Nocturne. It is an extraordinary mature work for band from a master composer. There is very little fortissimo writing and there are no semiquavers at all. Instead, Holst has written clean melodic lines with each part being woven into a texture based on the modal lines of English folk music; but these represent its stylistic origin rather than using actual folk tunes as in Holst’s earlier band writing. The “March” is stirring and flowing and is an ideal standalone piece to open or close any concert or festival program.

ABOUT THE SERIES
The SpectraFlex Series for adaptable wind band offers flexibility with pieces across all grade levels, featuring traditional high-to-low scoring with 5 or 6 parts and optional percussion. Each part is transposed and playable by a multitude of wind or keyboard percussion instruments while maintaining the spectrum of sound we have grown to love about the wind band.