Description
Holst (1874-1934) completed his Brook Green Suite whilst in hospital a year before his death. Originally for string orchestra (plus optional solo wind instruments) he wrote the suite specifically for the junior orchestra at St. Paul’s Girls’ School in London, where he was Director of Music.
Opinions vary as to the origin of the suite’s name: it may be the location of his wedding to Isobel in 1901, or, as seems more likely, it is named after the location of the school in Brooks Green, Hammersmith.
Originally the work was conceived as a four movement suite: Prelude, Gavotte, Air and Dance. After the suite’s first performance at the school (the last concert he attended), Holst decided to omit the second movement and he also renamed the final movement as ‘Dance’. In this arrangement the Gavotte has been reinstated, but players can decide whether or not to play it in the context of the suite.
The opening Prelude is based on the scale of C Major, whilst the Air resembles (but does not copy) an English Folksong. The final movement is based on a melody Holst heard at a puppet show in Sicily.
