Johan S. Halvorsen

Little Masquerade Suite

In 1922 Halvorsen was commissioned to write incidental music for the bicentennial performance of a comedy written by Norwegian playwright Ludvig Holberg. Masquerade calls for a diverse pallet of music depicting ballet and dance scenes filled with silly play and gaiety. As a result, the music is graceful, as found in Cotillion, playful as in the Bacchanale, and burlesque for the Rooster and Grotesque dances. The original Masquerade Suite for orchestra consisted of eight dances; this arrangement for concert band comprises the first, third, fifth and sixth movements of Halvosens original suite. A delightful programing selection displaying humor, wit and elegance in the four brief movements.