Sarabande & Gavotte (from the Holberg Suite, Opus 40): Concert Band Conductor Score

Victor López's arrangement captures the elegance and structural clarity of Grieg's original without sacrificing the piece's Baroque character. These two movements work equally well as a concert selection or as part of the complete suite, giving you programming flexibility while maintaining the musical integrity that earned the Praeludium recognition in The Instrumentalist. The Grade 3 scoring ensures your ensemble can handle the parts without compromising the sophistication of the writing.

The Sarabande unfolds with courtly restraint, its dignified harmonic progressions creating an atmosphere of contemplation. The Gavotte sparkles by contrast, its bright rhythmic energy and dance-like character providing the perfect foil and sending audiences away refreshed.

Concert band directors seeking repertoire that combines accessibility with musical substance. This arrangement suits developing ensembles (Grade 3) that are ready to tackle Baroque-era material and benefit from exposure to composers beyond the standard wind band canon.

• Shape the Sarabande's long melodic lines with careful attention to harmonic rhythm; the stately pace demands that players voice inner parts cleanly so the chordal movement reads clearly to the audience.
• Balance the Gavotte's rhythmic vitality with precise articulation in the woodwind sections; rhythmic clarity without heaviness will let the movement's dance character shine.
• Use the recorded accompaniment to lock ensemble tempo and phrasing; both movements benefit from a conductor who hears the piece before teaching it to the band.
• Mark phrase endings in your parts so players understand where the musical sentences land; this prevents the Baroque structure from sounding fragmented.

Program these movements in a concert that explores the Baroque suite tradition; if your ensemble has mastered the Praeludium, presenting all three movements together creates a cohesive suite experience. Alternatively, use the Gavotte as a lighter concert piece to contrast heavier Romantic or contemporary works, or select the Sarabande for a festival program where musical maturity and restraint matter.

• Baroque phrasing and harmonic awareness in a modern ensemble context
• Balance and blend when doubling melodic lines across different instrument families
• Sustaining long melodic lines with appropriate dynamic shaping
• Articulation clarity in dance rhythms and rhythmic passages
• Reading and performing music from the Romantic era's engagement with Baroque forms