Hammersmith: Prelude and Scherzo

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Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst

Gustav Holst


Contents

General Info

Year: 1930 (published in 1954)
Duration: c. 13:30
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes, Inc.
Cost: Score and Parts - $85.00   |   Score Only - $16.50


Instrumentation

Full Score
Piccolo I-II
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II (Oboe II is ad lib)
Bassoon I-II (Bassoon II is ad lib)
Eb Soprano Clarinet I-II (Eb Clarinet II part is ad lib)
Bb Soprano Clarinet Solo
Bb Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
Eb Alto Saxophone
Bb Tenor Saxophone
Cornet (in Bb) Solo
Cornet (in Bb) I-II Trumpet (in Bb) I-II
Horns in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Cymbal (crash, large)
  • Glockenspiel
  • Side Drum
  • Snare Drum
  • Tam-Tam
  • Triangle
  • Xylophone


Errata

The following errors are in the PARTS:

  • Flute I, m. 74-75, the page turn is impossible. Make a copy of the following page.
  • Oboe, m. 273, first note of last triplet should be a D. / m. 407, last note of triplet should be E, not F#.
  • Bassoons, m. 386, note should be G#, not B#. / m. 406, second half note should be a G.
  • Bb Clarinet I, m. 177, first eighth note should be Eb, not E-natural.
  • Alto Saxes, m. 125, Eighth note should be an F, not a G.
  • Trumpet I-II, m. 101-102, m. 104-105, accents should mirror the cornet part (as in the score)
  • Horn I-II, m. 109-110, part should have an A-natural in the first measure, and a D-natural in the next.
  • Tuba, m. 139, the second eighth note (lower octave( should be a G, not an A. / m. 346, add missing # to first note.


Program Notes

Nineteen long years passed between the composition of Holst's last two works for winds, the Second Suite in F and the masterful Hammersmith. Commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for its military band, Hammersmith was Holst's first band work for professional musicians, the earlier suites having been composed for amateur bands. Despite the commission, Hammersmith (in its original incarnation, Holst later re-wrote it for symphony orchestra) received no performance for nearly 24 years after its composition. When that long-delayed premiere finally arrived, it was given by an American band (the Kiltie Band of the Carnegie Institute of Technology -now Carnegie Melon University- in Pittsburgh, PA on 14 April 1954, Robert Cantrick, conductor).

The score bears the dedication "To the Author of the Water Gypsies." This author is Alan P. Herbert, and his 1930 novel deals with a working-class girl from Hammersmith who shares her life with two very different types of men: An illiterate barge worker and an an artist, a duality that obviously appealed to Holst.

Hammersmith is a Prelude and Scherzo, its composition a result of Holst's long familiarity with the Hammersmith metropolitan borough of London, which sits on the Thames River. At the time, 125,000 inhabitants were packed into an area of 3.6 square miles. Holst's fascination with the duality of his surroundings is reflected in his composition. The Prelude (representing the inexorable, "unnoticed and unconcerned" river) is slow and unconcerned, reflecting a duality in its very key: E Major set against F minor. The Scherzo (representing the Cockney street markets and the laughing, bustling crowds) is boisterous, exuberant, and vulgar. The music and mood of the Prelude returns at the end of the composition, bringing us back to the great slow-moving river, passing relentlessly out to sea.


Program Notes by Nikk Pilato


Commercial Discography


State Ratings

  • Florida: VI   ---   (The Florida Bandmasters Association denotes this as "significant literature.")
  • South Carolina: VI
  • Texas: V


Recent Performances

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Additional Works for Winds by this Composer


Additional Resources




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