The low opus numbers of this work and its companion piece, the Suite No. 2, Op. 1b, are misleading since Elgar wrote them when he was a seasoned composer of 50 years of age. Yet the materials upon which he based the two Suites date to his childhood; hence the low opus numbers. The Suite No. 1 consists of seven short numbers and lasts about 20 minutes. The music in its original form was to be used for a children's play the young Elgar and his siblings had planned to act out.

The first movement, Overture, is colorful and light, contrasting energy with an absolutely Elgarian grandeur. The ensuing Serenade is subdued and quite serene in its childlike innocence and chipper playfulness. No. 3 is the charming Minuet; here Elgar imparts both a Classical leanness and starched-collar elegance to the music. The fourth movement, "Sun Dance," is lively and full of mischief, but again with deft contrasts evident: the playful main sections twice give way to calmer, more lyrical music, imparting a Scherzo-like character to the proceedings.

Nos. 4, "Fairy Pipers," and 5, "Slumber Scene," are the longest in the Suite, each four to five minutes in length. The former is dreamy and sedate, containing just the kind of music to bring on the mood for the ensuing number. "Slumber Scene" brings on an even greater sense of tranquility and dreaminess in its warmth and innocence and lovely melodic flow. The finale, "Fairies and Giants," is lively and colorful in its sense of wonder and adventure, and features a dramatic dark melody that alludes to the Dies Irae theme, used at Roman Catholic funerals and in Classical music as a symbol of death or danger. Here, it quite unthreateningly—and deftly—depicts every child's favorite monsters: giants.

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