Description
Wind Quintet in Ab, op. 14, H. 67 (1903)
Composed by Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
Edited by Imogen Holst and Colin Matthews
Published by Faber Music
Duration: ca. 16 minutes
SCORE ONLY
Contents:
1. Allegro moderato
2. Adagio
3. Minuet (in Canon) and Trio
4. Air and Variations
Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, Horn in F, and Bassoon
Holst composed his Wind Quintet in 1903. A note in his list of compositions states that Holst sent the score in 1914 to the flautist Albert Fransella (who took part in the first performance of the Terzetto in 1926). The work remained unperformed, however, and all trace of it was lost until Holst's draft score turned up in a private collection in 1952. Then in 1978 the manuscript fair copy was discovered amongst the papers of Lucy Broadwood (1858-1929) which had been deposited in the surrey Record Office. A copy of this score was kindly made avalable by the Broadwood Trust, and the work was performed for the first time on September 15th 1982 by the Nash Ensemble in the Wigmore Hall, London.
In editing the music for performance Imogen Holst and I have made several substantial cuts in the first two movements. Had Holst had the opportunity to hear the work, we are confident that he would have done the same, eliminating unnessary 'padding' in order to match the conciseness of the Minuet and Air and Variations. These two movements, with the exception of additional phrasing and dynamics, are published exactly as Holst left them.
-Colin Matthews
Parts to this piece can be found here.