Marching Song

Gustav Holst

Gustav Holst (arr. Timothy Reynish)

General Info

Year: 1906 / 1983
Duration: c. 4:00
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Novello, through Studio Music Company
Cost: Score and Parts - £74.95 | Score only - £15.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo/Flute I
Flute II (optional)
Oboe I-II (II optional)
Bassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Clarinet Solo-I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone (optional)
Horn in F I-II-III-IV (III and IV optional)
B-flat Cornet I-II
B-flat Trumpet I-II (Both optional)
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion (2 players), including:

• Bass Drum
• Snare Drum

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Gustav Holst's Two Songs Without Words were composed for small orchestra in 1906 and received their first performance at the Royal College of Music, London, under the composer's baton in the same year on July 19th. They were dedicated to Ralph Vaughan Williams who wrote to Holst:

'My dear V' It was nice to open your parcel and find my initials over your pieces - I don't know what you owe to me - but I know all I owe to you - if I ever do anything worth doing it will be greatly owing to having such a friend as you "at my command" as the folk-songs say, always ready to help and advise - and someone whose yea is always yea and nay, nay - which is a quality one really wants in a friend and so seldom gets.

In 1929-1930 the march was scored for small band by Holst and put on hire by Novello, since when it has been largely superseded by the arrangement for full symphonic band by Erik Leidzén, published in 1940.

Marching Song was scored, as most of his wind works, for a small military band. By omitting all of the optional extra parts, the work can be played by as few as 25 players.

- Program Note from Program Notes for Band

Media

• Audio CD: University of North Texas Wind Symphony (Eugene Corporon, conductor)

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

• Oklahoma Intercollegiate Honor Band (Tulsa) (Andrea Brown, conductor) - 19 January 2023
• University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg) Concert Band (Eric Scott, conductor) - 24 April 2022
• University of Maryland (College Park) Wind Ensemble (Andrea Brown, conductor) – 19 February 2022 (CBDNA 2022 Eastern Conference, Baltimore, Md.)
• Cleveland (Ohio) Youth Wind Symphony Group II (Michael Komperda, conductor) - 3 December 2021 (Severance Music Center, Cleveland)
• Houghton (N.Y.) College Wind Ensemble (Jack Smith, conductor) - 29 October 2021

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

• Chaconne from "First Suite in Eb" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1909/2016)
• Fantasia on the "Dargason" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1911/2013)
• Intermezzo (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1909/2017)
• Jupiter (arr. Deterling) (Flex instrumentation) (1916/2020)
• Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity (Adaptable Band) (arr. Fisher) (1916/2020)
• March (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1911/2010)
• March from "First Suite in Eb" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1909/2015)
• March from Second "Suite in F Major" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Fisher) (1911/2018)
• March from "First Suite in Eb" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1909/2015)
• Mars (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Vinson) (1916/2009)
• A Moorside March (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Wright; ed. M. Brand) (1928/2021)
• Songs from the "Second Suite" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1911/2012)
• Suite from "The Planets" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Vinson) (1916/2018)

All Wind Music

• Ave Maria (tr. Woodley) (1900)
• Bach's Fugue à la Gigue (as arranger; ed. Brand). See: Fugue à la Gigue
• Bach's Fugue à la Gigue (as arranger; ed. Mitchell) (1707/1928/2005)
• Brook Green Suite (tr. Curnow) (1933/2006)
• Capriccio (tr. Boyd) (1932/1967/1974)
• Capriccio (arr. Paul Noble) (1932/1967/2019)
• Chaconne from "First Suite in Eb" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1909/2016)
• Chorale from Jupiter (arr. James Curnow)
• Christmas Day (arr. Daehn) (1910/2011)
• Christmas Day (arr. Beringen) (1910/2010)
• Country Song (arr. Klein) (1906)
• Dance of the Spirits of Fire (trans. Harpham) (1918/1922/1971)
• Dirge for Two Veterans
• Fantasia on the "Dargason" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1911/2013)
• Fantasia on the "Dargason" (arr. Story) (1911/2000)
• First Suite in E-flat (1909/1921)
• First Suite in E-flat (ed. Matthews) (1909/1921/1984)
• First Suite in E-flat (ed. Ito) (1909/2011)
• First Suite in E-flat (arr. Longfield) (1909/2006)
• First Suite in E-flat for Military Band (ed. Fennell) (1909/2006)
• First Suite in E-flat Themes (arr. Sweeney). See: Themes from "First Suite in E-flat"
• A Fugal Concerto (arr. Brand) (1923/1993?)
• A Fugal Overture (arr. Noble) (1922/2014)
• A Fugal Overture (trans. Ponto) (1922)
• Fugue à la Gigue (as arranger; ed. Brand) (1707/1928/2008)
• Fugue à la Gigue (as arranger; ed. Mitchell). See: Bach's Fugue à la Gigue
• Gustav Holst Band Classics (arr. Edwards) (2020)
• Hammersmith: Prelude and Scherzo (1930)
• A Holst Hymn (arr. Smith) (1921/2022)
• A Holst Suite (trans. Thompson) (2018)
• Hymns from the Rig Veda (tr. Windram, ed. Mitchell) (1908/1917/2017)
• I Vow to Thee, My Country (setting Vaughan Williams; ed. Grechesky) (1921/1988)
• I Vow to Thee, My Country (arr. Knorr) (1921/2017)
• Illumination (arr. Gene Milford)
• In the Bleak Midwinter. See: Winter Suite
• Intermezzo (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1909/2017)
• Japanese Suite (adapt. Boyd) (1915/1982/1999)
• Jupiter (arr. Deterling) (Flex instrumentation) (1916/2020)
• Jupiter from "The Planets" (arr. Pay and Smith) (1916/1924)
• Jupiter from "The Planets" (arr. Branchfield) (1916/2014)
• Jupiter (arr. Brown) (1916)
• Jupiter (tr. Curnow) (1916/1990)
• Jupiter (arr Hurt) from "The Planets" (arr. Hurt) (1916)
• Jupiter (arr. Owens) (1916/2006)
• Jupiter Hymn (arr. de Meij) (1916/1921/1990)
• Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity (Adaptable Band) (arr. Fisher) (1916/2020)
• Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity (tr. McAlister; ed. Reed) (1916/2003)
• March (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1911/2010)
• March from "First Suite for Military Band" (arr. Story) (2011)
• March from "First Suite in Eb" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1909/2015)
• March from Second "Suite in F Major" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Fisher) (1911/2018)
• Marching Song (1906/1930)
• Marching Song (arr. Moss) (1906/2006)
• Marching Song (ed. Reynish) (1906/1983)
• March on Three Folk Tunes (ed. Binney) (c. 1913/2005)
• Mars (arr. Bocook) (1916/1998)
• Mars (arr. Owens) (1916/2009)
• Mars from "The Planets" (tr. Pay and Smith) (1916/1924)
• Mars, from "The Planets" (tr. Singleton) (1916/2001)
• Mars (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Vinson) (1916/2009)
• Midwinter (arr. Phillips) (2012)
• Moorside March (arr. Jacob) (1928/1960)
• A Moorside March (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Wright; ed. M. Brand) (1928/2021)
• A Moorside Suite (arr. Wright)
• Morris Dance Tunes (arr. Wagner) (1910/2010)
• On This Day the Earth Shall Ring (arr. Smith) (2001)
• The Perfect Fool (arr. Short) (1922/2005)
• The Planets (tr. Inagaki) (1916)
• The Planets (tr. Janssen) (1916/2017)
• The Planets (tr. Patterson) (1916/1998)
• The Planets (tr. Schrijvers) (1916/2005)
• The Planets (tr. Vives) (1916/2007?)
• The Planets (tr. Smith) (1916/1921)
• Scherzo (tr. Patterson) (1933/2021)
• Second Suite in F (ed. Fennell; score assembly Schissel) (1911/2006)
• Second Suite in F (arr. Johnston) (1911/2011)
• Second Suite in F (ed. Matthews) (1911)
• Second Suite in F (ed. Neumann) (1911)
• Second Suite in F (ed. Ito) (1911/1922/2012)
• Second Suite in F (adapt. Longfield) (1911/2007)
• Second Suite in f minor / F Major (ed. Hauswirth and Schmidt) (1911/2014)
• A Somerset Rhapsody (tr. Clare Grundman) (1906/1927/1980)
• The Song of the Blacksmith (arr. Loest) (1911/2011)
• Songs from the "Second Suite" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Stanton) (1911/2012)
• Songs of the West (arr. James Curnow) (1907/1986)
• St. Paul's Suite (arr. Sparke) (1912-1913/2017)
• Suite from "The Planets" (arr. Custer) (1916/1991)
• Suite from "The Planets" (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Vinson) (1916/2018)
• Themes from "First Suite in E-flat" (arr. Sweeney) (1909/2006)
• Three Folk Tunes (arr. Wagner) (c. 1913/2007)
• Two Songs Without Words (arr. Erickson) (1906/1996)
• Uranus (tr. Curnow) (1916/1991)
• Winter Suite
  • On This Day Earth Shall Ring (arr. Smith) (1924/2001)
  • In the Bleak Midwinter (arr. Bullock) (1906/1996)
  • In the Bleak Midwinter (arr. Giroux) (1906/2018)
  • In the Bleak Midwinter (arr. Smith) (1906/1992)
  • Old Brenton Carol (arr. Smith) (1910/2001)

Resources

• Perusal Score
• Smith, Norman E. (2002). Program Notes for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications, pp. 296.