Songs of the West (Holst)

The melodies in Songs of the West differ in styles, keys, and tempos from the original Holst work, A Somerset Rhapsody The nautical nature of the coastal region is evident in many of the melodies.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Level: 5 | Duration: 11:15

Instrumentation
Piccolo
1st Flute
2nd Flute
1st/2nd Oboes*
Eb Clarinet*
1st Bb Clarinet
2nd Bb Clarinet
3rd Bb Clarinet
Eb Alto Clarinet*
Bb Bass Clarinet
1st/2nd Bassoon
1st Eb Alto Saxophone
2nd Eb Alto Saxophone
Bb Tenor Saxophone
Eb Baritone Saxophone*

1st F Horn
2nd F Horn
3rd F Horn
4th F Horn
1st Bb Trumpet
2nd Bb Trumpet
3rd Bb Trumpet
1st Trombone
2nd Trombone
3rd Trombone
Euphonium
(TC Baritone)
Tuba

String Bass*

Timpani
Percussion 1 (tambourine, triangle, snare drum)
Percussion 2 [2 players] (crash cymbals, bass drum, suspended cymbal)
Mallet Percussion (bells, xylophone)

Parts marked with as asterisk (*) are NOT ESSENTIAL, although their presence will obviously enable a fuller realization of the composer's intentions to be achieved.

Program Notes
Gustav Holst did not have much success in getting his early compositions published. In 1905, he began a career as a gifted teacher when he was appointed Director of Music at St. Paul’s Girls School in Hammersmith. It was also a time when he developed the friendship of Ralph Vaughan Williams and the two developed an interest in English folk music. This became a turning point in Holst’s style as he left behind the heaviness of the Wagnerian style for the simplicity of folk melodies. Vaughan Williams wrote “we were dazzled, we wanted to preach a new gospel, we wanted to rhapsodise on these tunes just as Liszt and Grieg had done on theirs … we simply were fascinated by the tunes.” Enthusiastic archivist Cecil Sharp, of the Folk Song Society, encouraged Holst to write “Two Selections of Folk Songs” based on material Sharp had collected in the West of England. Songs of the West was the first of the pair noted as Opus 22 was written in 1906; A Somerset Rhapsody was completed the following year. The melodies in Songs of the West differ in styles, keys, and tempos. The nautical nature of the coastal region is evident in many of the melodies. Originally written for orchestra, noted composer James Curnow was commissioned in 1986 to arrange the work for concert band.