Second Suite in F: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Fennell's stewardship of this score represents the gold standard of editorial work in band literature. His annotations reveal decades of rehearsal wisdom and historical research, transforming a study score into a conducting resource that deepens your understanding of Holst's intent with every read. This is the edition every serious band program should own.

A journey through English character and landscape, starting with military precision in the opening march, settling into intimate reflection with the wordless song, then turning earthy and robust in the Blacksmith's forge before concluding in a wild, folk-inspired celebration. The whole feels both grand and deeply personal.

Any concert band program ready to program a Grade 4 standard with serious musical substance. This work rewards strong section leaders and develops ensemble discipline; it is equally suited to festival competition, concert programming, or extended study of 20th-century British wind music.

• Study Fennell's notes before the first rehearsal; they clarify harmonic progressions and orchestration choices that aren't immediately obvious from the score layout alone.
• Balance the Song Without Words as chamber music. The English horn and clarinet soloists must emerge clearly, so check individual part dynamics early and adjust ensemble voicing accordingly.
• The Blacksmith movement thrives on rhythmic precision in the lower woodwinds and brass foundation. Lock this in with your percussion section before adding the lyrical upper voices.
• Shape the Dargason variations with awareness of which instrumental family carries the tune in each iteration. Students hear the form more clearly when you highlight these timbral shifts in rehearsal.

Pair this with other Holst band works or use it as the centerpiece of a program exploring British composer contributions to wind music. Its four movements allow flexibility: you might program only the March and Fantasia if time is tight, though the full suite rewards a dedicated concert or festival slot.

• Reading complex harmonic structures in keys with multiple flats
• Balancing solo voices within a full ensemble texture
• Responding to conductor gesture in music with frequent meter changes and tempo variations
• Listening across instrumental families to maintain sectional blend
• Interpreting style markers and performance directions specific to English folk-influenced music