An Original Suite - BHI66211 | Musica

Includes:
1. March
2. Intermezzo
3. Finale

A new edition of this “must have” classic, the three movements of An Original Suite provide compelling contrasts – from the stately march of the beginning to the andante second movement, setting the stage for the sprightly, upbeat finale.

Gordon Jacob composed "An Original Suite" as a student attending the Royal Academy of Music in 1924. Previously, Jacob had trandscribed Ralph Vaughan Williams' "English Folk Song Suite" from wind band to orchestra and developed an interest in writing for military band. By Jacob's description, the title was given to the work by Boosey and Hawkes, a decision he later regretted as described in the following passage:
At that time very little original music was being written for what was then 'military band', so the title was a way of distinguishing that it was an original work rather than an arrangement - not that the music was original in itself. It was an unfortunate title, I know.
Throughout the composition, Jacob often emulates folk tunes, creating melodic passages based on pentatonic scales.