Paul Creston (1906 - 1985) was a slow starter as a composer. He did not decide on music as a career or take any theory or composition courses until he well into his twenties. This early work, listed as his first orchestral composition, is uncharacteristic of his music in that it is a neo-classical piece, the only major work in that style in Creston's catalog. However, it has his typical craftsmanship, tight thematic interrelationships, and, above all, his strong attention to rhythm. The Partita is in five short movements and is about 17 minutes long.

The very opening of the first movement, Preamble, reminds the listener of the Bach Brandenburg Concertos. Flute and violin play contrapuntal lines in steadily-moving sixteenth notes, the same sort of texture found in the opening movements of Bach's six concertos.

The second movement, Sarabande, is in the stately, dotted rhythm of that dance, a Baroque favorite that Bach frequently used in his suites and partitas. The dotted chords in the accompaniment are taken from faster-moving material in the opening movement. After the chords establish themselves, the flute and violin play a sad theme in counterpoint. The beginning composer shows admirable confidence in his material, never succumbing to any suspicion that he might need to introduce another texture for the same of variety.

The third movement, Burleske, begins with intertwining presentations from both soloists, suggesting the opening of the Second Brandenburg Concerto. The chamber orchestra also often joins in the counterpoint, with modern, tonally sliding harmonies that remind one of the Paul Hindemith Kammermusik concertos, although much less astringent in their sound.

The fourth movement is another slow one, marked Air. Again a consistent texture is maintained. A third solo instrument joins the flute and the violin to maintain a three-voice polyphony, with the string orchestra acting a bass line, playing in a steady rhythm in light pizzicato notes. Where the third string drops out for a passage, the effect is intimate and touching.

The final movement is a Tarantella. This is a familiar Italian folk dance rhythm, a very fast dotted rhythm. Examination of the music shows that this material is speeded up drastically from the Sarabande, and the theme is that of the first movement changed into triple meter. It is a very vigorous and whirling movement. Creston's Italian heritage seems to take over the movement, leaving the neo-baroque style behind. Counterpoint is much less important, as the flute and violin have several passages where they simply join in an orchestral line.

Creston's Partita is one of the most warm-hearted and friendly of the numerous neo-classical works of the 1930s, and is excellent repertory for small orchestras.

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