Gustav Holst

Introduction and Bolero

A preview of Holst's intention to write a piano duet comes in his Four Organ Voluntaries (written in 1890-91 for the organ at All Saints Church, Cheltenham). At the end of the last of these (a Funeral March in G minor) he wrote to his dedicatee Nina von Holst (his aunt): "I am thinking of writing a piano duet for you and Miss Scott. It will be very difficult and therefore will just suit you!" The Introduction and Bolero was composed in 1893 just as Holst was making the transition to becoming a student at the Royal College of Music. The manuscript contains the inscription "This was written expressly for and dedicated to My adored Beloved Sweet-Heart." The young lady in question was probably the 18 year old Mabel Forty, with whom he often played piano duets. Mabel's father, Frank Forty, was the co-founder of the once well-known Cheltenham piano and sheet music shop Dale, Forty & Co., which existed until 1961.
This is the first published edition of this work.
Duration 6½ minutes