Brook Green Suite

First time buyers get 20% off *

Brook Green Suite (1933)

Gustav Holst (1874–1934)

Saxophone Choir

Brook Green Suite by Gustav Holst arranged for Saxophone Choir. Brook Green Suite was written in 1933 during a stay in the hospital (where he was to die in May 1934). Holst wrote it for his pupils, the junior orchestra at St Paul’s Girls School. The intention was to create a piece easy enough to play for younger members of the orchestra that is not simply a watered down version aimed at younger players or simple orchestrations of keyboard pieces.

The suite exhibits Holst’s melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and stylistic maturity at their highest level. The composer used music resembling English folk melody in the second movement, the Air, but it is not based on a traditional folk piece. The cheerful tune half-way through the last movement is one that he remembered hearing played in a puppet show when he was on holiday in Sicily.

With this arrangement of Brook Green Suite you get:

Saxophone Choir full score (transposed): 24 pages including covers, 9″ x 12″

Parts: 4 pages each, 9″ x 12″ . With the printed options, 2 copies of each part are included.

• Soprano Saxophone 1-2
• Alto Saxophone 1-2
• Tenor Saxophone 1-2
• Baritone Saxophone 1-2
  Bari sax 2 is also the Bass Sax double with a few extra passages added
• Bass Saxophone (optional)

A long-time favorite in the string repertoire, this 3-movement classic is now available for large saxophone ensemble. The movements are:

• I. Prelude
  • Common time, allegretto, C major throughout. About 1.5 minutes
• II. Air
  • 3/4 time, Andante, Poco animato, A minor, F major, A major. About 2.5 minutes
• III. Dance
  • 6/8 time, Allegro, Animato, C major, G Major, E flat major. About 2.5 minutes

This arrangement of the Brook Green Suite is complete and in the original keys. Although the piece was written for younger string players originally, this transcription for saxophones requires more experienced players due to the key structure.

The range for each saxophone part is shown below.
Audio and score excerpts are available above.

Saxophone Ranges for Brook Green Suite

About the Composer

Gustav Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite The Planets, he composed many other works across a range of genres.

There were professional musicians in the previous three generations of Holst’s family, and it was clear from his early years that he would follow the same calling. He hoped to become a pianist, but was prevented by neuritis in his right arm. Despite his father’s reservations, he pursued a career as a composer, studying at the Royal College of Music under Charles Villiers Stanford.

Unable to support himself by his compositions, he played the trombone professionally and later became a teacher. Among other teaching activities he pioneered music education for women at St Paul’s Girls’ School, where he taught from 1905 until his death in 1934.

* First time buyer’s discount applies to ‘download only’ purchases and does not combine with other discounts or coupons

.