1.         "Overture"  Allegro in F Major

All 9 instruments are treated on equal terms.  The movement is in a mini sonata form with a short adagio introduction, briefly referred to also in the development, and a coda.

2.         "March"  Moderato in D Minor

Features the two bassoons and the flute changes to piccolo to provide a florid descant.  The movement is in a simple tertiary form; modulations include sections in the Dorian mode.

3.         "Contrasts"  Adagio in B flat and A

This movement features the two clarinets, one in B flat and one in A.  Although the over all form is tertiary, each of the three sections is in two contrasting parts, a semi-tone apart, highlighting the tonal contrasts of the two instruments.  Contrast is also accentuated by changes of dynamics, range and rhythm.

4.         "Pied Piper"  Allegro in C Major

The flute dominates this contrapuntal movement and leads each of the other instruments in turn.  Although the tonality is predominantly major, there are short excursions into the Minor and Dorian modes.

5.         "Pastorale"  Andante in G Dorian

A more romantic movement featuring the two oboes.  There are four rhapsodic sections all based on the same material but in different keys including major and minor.

6.         "Hunt"  Allegretto in B flat Major

This movement exploits the natural characteristics of the two horns.  It is in a sort of Rondo form but with a third subject where a repeat of the first section might be expected.

7.         "Finale"  Furioso in F Major

A lively movement for all instruments in Rondo form but with two different episodes between the main themes.  One of these refers back to the Dorian Mode which has been featured in some of the earlier movements.  The two episodes refer to material from the earlier movements, the first from movements 2, 3 & 4 and the second from movements 4, 5 & 6.

1a.       "Sinfonia"  Allegro in F

The movement is in a brief sonata form with the development being a slower section based on the same material.  It thus relates to the early Italian sinfonia, which was in three movements, fast-slow-fast.  The second subject is in the relative minor rather than the more usual dominant.

The work was originally conceived as a suite of seven movements, but only four were written initially.  However, at later date the remaining three movements were written along with the alternative Overture, the Sinfonia, under the title of 'Serenade for Winds'.  The performer should therefore feel free to perform the work as two separate suites or to select any combination of movements as a shorter suite.