Orchestral · St. Paul's Suite · Op. 29, No. 2 · 1913
St. Paul's Suite, for strings, Op. 29, No. 2, H.118
Gustav Holst
A four-movement suite for string orchestra that Holst wrote for his school's student players, built on dance tunes and English folk song and playable by orchestras of any size.
What to listen for
Jig. The strings set off in a lilting two-beats-in-a-bar swing, with the tune tossed from the high violins down to the cellos and basses. A quieter middle section slows the spin before the opening bounce returns.
Ostinato. The title refers to a short pattern repeated over and over, and that is exactly what starts here: a churning figure in the lower strings that keeps running while the violins lay a wistful melody across it. The pattern never really lets go, which gives the movement its restless feel.
Intermezzo. A solo violin opens with a snaking, decorated line that sounds closer to the eastern Mediterranean than to England. The mood then flips into a fast, foot-stamping dance, and the two ideas alternate, the solo returning to have the last word over hushed accompaniment.
Finale (The Dargason). Two folk tunes are stitched together. First comes the Dargason, a short country dance melody that loops back on itself endlessly. Partway through, the cellos slide in with Greensleeves, and Holst runs both tunes at once, each keeping its own shape. The movement thins out at the end to a single high violin and a low pizzicato answer, a plucked note that closes the whole suite with a wink.
The story
Holst taught music at St Paul's Girls' School in Hammersmith, London, from 1905 until his death, and the school built him a soundproof music room. He wrote this suite for the school's string orchestra around 1912 and 1913, tailoring it to what capable young players could manage while leaving room for a soloist to shine in the third movement. The last movement reworks material he had already used in the finale of his Second Suite for military band, and the Dargason tune came to him from the English folk song collections then circulating among British composers. The piece was published in 1922. It has stayed in circulation ever since, played by student orchestras, chamber ensembles and full professional string sections alike, and the closing pairing of the Dargason with Greensleeves is the moment audiences tend to remember.
First time hearing it?
- About twelve to fourteen minutes, in four short movements with brief pauses between them.
- Strings only, no wind, brass or percussion, so the sound stays lean and clear throughout.
- Listen for the last movement, where the cellos bring in Greensleeves while the fast dance tune keeps running above it.
- The third movement features a solo violinist stepping out of the ensemble with a winding, exotic-sounding melody.
- Written for the string players at a London girls' school, so it rewards small orchestras as much as large ones.
Written by OrchestraFinder, reviewed September 2026.