Jig

Together with his good friend Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst had a strong liking for the abundant folk music of the British Isles. This influence is heard in many of his works and is perhaps strongest in his Second Suite for Military Band and in the Saint Paul Suite for string orchestra. This work was composed in 1913 for the school orchestra of St. Paul’s Girls School in London, where Holst was the Director of Music. The suite opens with this exuberant Jig, a dance originating from Scottish and Irish folk music in alternating duple and triple time (6/8 and 9/8), which has been expertly arranged for concert band.