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First Suite in E-flat for Military Band

Gustav Holst (1874–1934) · sheet music

  • Time 4/4
  • Levels 3–10
  • Passages 38

Your turn · both hands

 

 

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Gustav Holst, English romantic (1874–1934). The reading release has 38 passages from this piece at levels 3–10; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 257–260 for the left hand alone.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 277–280 at level 10.

Your practice path

Learn it the way teachers do: each hand on its own, then together, then the hard bars. Each step is a real graded passage of First Suite in E-flat for Military Band.

  1. Left hand alone · bars 257–260 level 3
  2. Hands together · bars 169–172 level 7
  3. The hardest bars · bars 277–280 level 10

How to play First Suite in E-flat for Military Band

  1. Tempo:The movements have different speeds: Allegro moderato for the Chaconne, Vivace for the Intermezzo, and a steady march around 126 beats per minute for the quarter note. Take each at a pace that lets the rhythm stay clear.
  2. Left hand:The left hand often has the theme, especially in the Chaconne. Give it a full, singing tone and treat it as the main voice, not as accompaniment.
  3. Right hand:The right hand adds countermelody and chords above the theme. Play it a little softer when the left hand has the tune, so the theme stays on top.
  4. Hands together:Balance the hands by deciding which one has the theme at each moment. Mark it in your score and practice making that hand louder.
  5. Rhythm:Dotted and syncopated figures give the suite its character. Clap them before you play, and keep the pulse steady in the March.
  6. Dynamics:The Chaconne builds over many repetitions. Plan a gradual increase in volume across the variations so the end feels like a climax.
  7. Practice:Practice the theme alone until you can play it in any hand with the same shape, then add the other lines one at a time.

Common mistakes

  • Treating the left hand as background while it has the theme. Fix: Play the theme with a full tone and lighten the right hand until the tune is clear.
  • Starting the March too fast. Fix: Set a metronome to the marked pace and leave room to feel the marching pulse.
  • Playing every variation of the Chaconne at the same volume. Fix: Plan a gradual build across the variations and save the largest sound for the end.
  • Blurring short notes in the Intermezzo. Fix: Practice staccato passages slowly with a light, quick release.

Structure: suite of three linked movements

The suite consists of a Chaconne, an Intermezzo, and a March, played without pauses. The Chaconne is a set of variations over a repeating bass idea, the Intermezzo is a quick, energetic dance in a minor key with a major-key second theme, and the March ends the work in the home key with a steady, striding pulse.

I · Chaconne (E-flat major)
A theme starts in the low brass and repeats sixteen times, each time with new textures and colors. In piano music this means many chances to read the same melody in different hands.
II · Intermezzo (C minor)
A quick, light Vivace in two beats with a darker main theme and a brighter second theme.
III · March (E-flat major)
A marching movement in two big beats, starting with a drum solo, that returns the suite to E-flat major with a firm, regular pulse.

About First Suite in E-flat for Military Band

Gustav Holst completed the First Suite for Military Band in E-flat in 1909. It was not officially premiered until 1920, at the Royal Military School of Music, and Boosey published the parts and a piano reduction in 1921. At the time, almost no serious music had been written specifically for military band, and there was not even a standard set of instruments.

Holst wrote an original work in three movements, meant to be played without a break: a Chaconne, an Intermezzo, and a March. The first movement sets an eight-bar theme that returns sixteen times, and that theme is developed through every movement; the March's opening chords even turn the motto upside down.

The suite is now seen as a cornerstone of the concert band repertoire. Together with Holst's Second Suite, it helped convince other British composers, including Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gordon Jacob, that serious music could be written for band. Sydney Herbert arranged it for brass band, and that version has been used as a contest test piece.

  • The Chaconne theme returns sixteen times and begins with the notes E-flat, F, and C.
  • Its rhythm is thought to be inspired by medieval English carols and resembles the Agincourt Song of 1415.
  • The movements are meant to be played without a break.
  • The March opens with a solo on the bass drum.

Why the first passage is level 3

That passage is level 3 rather than 2 because a hand covers more than one position, it leaps a fifth, the line roams across the staff, it has dotted rhythms, it leaves the five-finger position.

The passages come from a piano arrangement of a band work, so the theme often moves between the hands. Watch for the left hand carrying the melody and for dotted rhythms.

Questions about First Suite in E-flat for Military Band

How hard is First Suite in E-flat for Military Band to play?
Its passages grade from level 3 to level 10 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 277–280 at level 10.
Is there an easy part of First Suite in E-flat for Military Band for beginners?
Yes. Start with bars 257–260 for the left hand alone, the level-3 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 3 because a hand covers more than one position and it leaps a fifth.
What key and time signature is First Suite in E-flat for Military Band in?
The engraving on this page is in 4/4 time.
Who composed First Suite in E-flat for Military Band?
Gustav Holst, English romantic (1874–1934). Gustav Holst completed the First Suite for Military Band in E-flat in 1909.
Can I practice First Suite in E-flat for Military Band online for free?
Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 38 graded passages from First Suite in E-flat for Military Band in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
When was Holst's First Suite premiered?
It was completed in 1909 but not officially premiered until 1920, at the Royal Military School of Music. It was published in 1921.
What are the movements of Holst's First Suite in E-flat?
There are three: Chaconne, Intermezzo, and March, played without a break.
Why is Holst's First Suite important?
It is regarded as a cornerstone of the concert band repertoire. It showed that serious original music could be written for military band.
Is Holst's First Suite in the public domain?
Holst died in 1934, so the work is in the public domain in many countries. Copyright rules differ by country, and editions and arrangements can be protected separately.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 38 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 3
bars 257–260 left hand
Level 7
bars 169–172 both hands · bars 205–208 both hands · bars 241–244 both hands · bars 257–260 both hands
Level 8
bars 13–16 both hands · bars 101–104 both hands · bars 105–112 both hands · bars 105–108 both hands · bars 109–112 both hands · bars 121–124 both hands · bars 161–164 both hands · bars 165–168 both hands · bars 209–212 both hands · bars 289–292 both hands · bars 397–400 both hands · bars 401–404 both hands · bars 413–416 both hands
Level 9
bars 1–12 both hands · bars 29–36 both hands · bars 157–160 both hands · bars 265–268 both hands · bars 285–288 both hands · bars 293–296 both hands · bars 297–300 both hands · bars 349–352 both hands · bars 353–356 both hands · bars 357–360 both hands · bars 369–372 both hands · bars 389–392 both hands · bars 417–420 both hands · bars 421–424 both hands · bars 425–428 both hands · bars 429–432 both hands
Level 10
bars 277–280 both hands · bars 281–284 both hands · bars 301–304 both hands · bars 381–384 both hands

More pieces to sight-read

Score: public-domain engraving from the corpus (pdmx), graded by the piano-reading-v2-20261023-identity-audit reading release.

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