Eric Coates London Suite

Classical Music / Suite


The London Suite, also known as London Everyday, is a suite of orchestral music by the English composer Eric Coates. The Suite was completed in 1933 when Coates was 47. It consists of three movements:

I. Covent Garden (Tarentelle)

II. Westminster (Meditation)

III. Knightsbridge (March)

The work was extremely popular when it was first published, with the third movement, Knightsbridge, being used as the theme tune for a BBC Radio Radio chat show programme called In Town Tonight, broadcast initially on the National Programme from 1933 and then switched to the Home Service in 1939 where it continued until 1960.

The BBC received such a large number of requests for the name of the piece by post so that they had slips of paper printed specifically to help with the demand.  Gerrard Williams arranged the military band edition of the suite for Chappell's Army Journal, while Paul V. Yoder also arranged the march for Chappell & Company.

Such was the popularity of London Suite that in 1936 Coates wrote a sequel to it called the London Again Suite.


Resources: 

London Suite (Coates).  Youtube, uploaded by Guilhem Buisson. Accessed August 27, 2017. (Orchestre Symphonique Opus 31, Direction Guilhem Boisson) - Apology. This video is no longer available. / Tel, May 7, 2023.

London Suite (Coates). en.wikipedia.org.  



(c) August 2017.  Updated May 7, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Gustav Holst Suite The Planets

Classical Music Datebook: September 29

"The Planets" by Gustav Holst

Gustav Holst's suite "The Planets" was first performed on Sept 29, 1918,  in Queen's Hall, London. He composed it for voices and orchestra. It is Holst's  best-known music.  One of Holst’s mystical influences was astrology and the zodiac, which was one of his hobbies for the rest of his life. Astrology was the primary influence behind his most famous work, The Planets.

The movements of "The Planets":

• Mars, the Bringer of War: Use of timpani.
• Venus, the Bringer of Peace: Strings.
• Mercury, the Winged Messenger: Strings and bassoon.
• Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity:  The Jupiter theme was adopted as a patriotic hymn tune, considered the most recognizable in the suite.
• Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age: The musical messenger of decline, eventually death.
• Uranus, the Magician.
• Nepture, the Mystic: More strings and winds.