William Boyce

Suite for Strings

William Boyce (1711-1779) composed his Sonata No. 10 in E minor as part of the collection Twelve Sonatas for Two Violins with a Bass for the Violoncello or Harpsichord, published in London in 1747, a landmark set that helped establish him as one of the leading figures of eighteenth-century English music. Rooted in the elegant trio-sonata tradition inherited from Corelli and Handel, the work reflects the graceful melodic style and balanced formal design characteristic of the Georgian era. In the twentieth century, English musician and arranger Sydney Robjohns (1917-1993) reworked the sonata as a Suite for Strings, adapting the chamber original for string orchestra while preserving its Baroque vitality and contrapuntal clarity. The arrangement became popular with school, amateur, and chamber string orchestras during the mid-twentieth-century revival of interest in earlier English music. Today, Suite for Strings (after Sonata No. 10 for 2 Violins and Continuo) occupies a valued place in educational and community-orchestra repertoire, offering performers and audiences an accessible introduction to Boyce's music while demonstrating how twentieth-century arrangers helped bring Baroque works to modern ensembles. A count of 8-8-5-5-5 strings are included in the set. Reprint edition.