• Composition: Begun ca. July 1940, and completed by late December. Revised extensively, autumn 1949.
• First Performance: 3 April 1941. Orchestra Hall, Chicago. Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Frederick Stock conductor.
• Duration: About 8 minutes
• Tempi: Molto vivace – Scherzevole  [317 m.]
• Craggs Catalogue Number: C40
• Instrumentation: 3 flutes (second and third doubling piccolos), 2 oboes, cor anglais, 3 clarinets in B-flat (third doubling bass clarinet in B-flat), 2 bassoons – 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in B-flat, 3 trombones, tuba – timpani, 3 or 4 percussion (tambourine, cymbals, xylophone, snare drum, bass drum, glockenspiel, Chinese temple blocks, castanets, triangle) – harp – strings
Instrumentation of Original Version: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets in B-flat, bass clarinet in B-flat, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon – 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in B-flat, 2 cornets in B-flat, 3 trombones, tuba – timpani, 4 percussion (side drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tambourine, xylophone, glockenspiel, Chinese temple blocks, slapsticks, castanets) – harp – strings
• Manuscript: Rosenthal Archives of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Manuscript 8876. Autograph full score in pencil, though later inked in, including performance markings by Frederick Stock. There is also a photocopy of this score, apparently made before the original was inked in.
Frederick R. Koch Collection. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Manuscript FRKF 625. Autograph full score, incomplete. Missing pages 20-25 and several pages from the end. This is a fair copy of the Chicago manuscript above, copied by Walton himself. 29 pages.
• Publication:
Oxford University Press. Study score, 1950, 019 368361X. Full score, 1951
Oxford University Press. Edited by David Lloyd-Jones. William Walton Edition, Volume 14, “Overtures”, 2002, 019 3683148. Score and parts are available on hire.
• Recordings: