St Paul's Suite
The St Paul 's Suite ( Op. 29, no. 2) originally called Suite in C, is a composition for string orchestra by the English composer Gustav Holst He wrote it in 1912, but due to further revisions, it remained unpublished until 1922. The work originally was titled Suite in C, later he named the piece after the St Paul 's Girls ' School in Hammersmith, London, where Holst from 1905 to 1934 worked as a music director. He wrote it in gratitude to the school after they had built him a soundproof study. Originally set for strings, Holst added but his pupils in St. Paul's wind parts added, so that more students could participate. Of the many pieces that he created for his students, the suite is the most famous.
Construction
The suite consists of four movements:
- I. Jig: Vivace ( Alternating between 6/ 8 and 9 /8 time )
- II Ostinato: Presto
- III. Intermezzo: Andante con moto ( In the manuscript "Dance ") is
- IV Finale (The Dargason ): Allegro (arranged from the " Fantasia on the Dargason " ( ie to German fantasy about the Dargason ) from his Second Suite in F for Military Band)