HOLST, Gustav (1874-1934)
Ballet Music from THE PERFECT FOOL
Concert Classics Series GMCL133
Level of Difficulty
Attributing a particular level of difficulty to an orchestral piece is awkward!
A piece may be easy for the strings but difficult for the brass; it may feature a tricky instrumental solo but the other parts may be relatively straight forward. A number of the arrangements listed are designed to simplify works to some extent but composers of many original works featured did not consider difficulty when writing them.
What our levels mean:
A = for players up to UK Grade 3
B = Grade 3 to 5
C = Grade 4 to 6
D = Grade 5 to 7
E = Grade 6 to 8
F = Grade 7 and over
Our gradings should be taken only as a rough guide.
To be sure if a piece is suitable for you, take a look at the score.
Orchestration
Piccolo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, Cor Anglais, 2 Clarinets in A or Bb, Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons, Contra Bassoon, 4 Horns in F, 4 Trumpets in C or Bb, 3 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion [2 or 3 players] (Bass drum, Cymbals, Tam-tam, Tambourine, Jingles [sleigh bells], Xylophone, Celeste), Harp
Strings (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass)
Holst wrote a comic opera "The Perfect Fool" in 1918-22. It begins with a ballet which is danced by Spirits of Earth, Water and Fire. It starts with a wizard (who sounds like Uranus the Magician from Holst's Planets) who summons the Spirits of the Earth with a trombone. Later, a solo viola calls up the calmer Spirits of the Water. The third section is the dance of the Spirits of Fire.
This edition is faithful to Holst's original; he indicated that the following instruments were optional - 2nd Flute, 2nd oboe, Bass clarinet, Contra bassoon, Trumpets 3 and 4, Xylophone and Celeste. Additional cues have been provided to cover the absence of a Cor Anglais - but it just wouldn't sound as good would it?
Duration: 10½ minutes
A PACK comprises an A4 sized full score plus a complete set of parts including strings 4/4/3/4/2.
Audio Sample
Click the play button below to hear a performance which has been computer-generated from the score.