Orchestration:
Group A: Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello
Group B: Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass
Known principally for his solo songs, Armstrong Gibbs also wrote music for the stage, sacred works, three symphonies and a substantial amount of chamber music, much of which remains unpublished. Armstrong Gibbs was born near Chelmsford in Essex and spent much of his busy life there when he was not touring the country adjudicating at festivals, conducting and composing.
This work was written in 1958-9. The string orchestra is split into two separate groups A and B with basses present only in the B group. There are three movements: Prelude, A Song of Sleep and The Promise of Spring.
In the idyllic slow second movement 'A Songof Sleep' the main group (B) is muted and contrasts with the solo group (A) which is not. Part of the movement in 6/8 time suggests the calm steady breathing of the sleeper and the whole has a pleasing feeling of peace and tranquility. The final ' Promise of Spring' is a confident, dancing piece reflecting the turning of the year and renewal.
Duration 14 minutes
In our normal PACK of parts we provide 4/4/3/4/2 string parts but because in this work the orchestra is split into two groups, and individual parts are printed for Group A and Group B, we have included 2 copies of each part. This, therefore, will give you 1 more viola part in total than you would normally get in our standard PACK. Extra individual parts are available for purchase should you require them.