• General Information:
I. What God hath done is rightly done - [Vivace assai]
II. Lord, hear my longing - [Adagio]
III. See what his love can do - [Tranquillo]
IV. Ah! how ephemeral - [Vivace]
V. Sheep may safely graze - [Adagio]
VI. Praise be to God - [Moderato]
• Arrangement: Arranged by the composer in 1940, from the score to the ballet The Wise Virgins.
• First Performance: Unknown
• Duration: About 19 minutes
• Craggs Catalog Number: C38a
• Instrumentation: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons – 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones – timpani – harp – strings
• Manuscript: There is no known surviving manuscript of this suite.
• Publication: Oxford University Press, 1942. Score, parts, and piano reduction are available on hire. Materials available for purchase:
| The Wise Virgins Suite | 1986 | Study score | ISBN 019 3613840 | Buy from SheetMusicPlus.com |
| No. 4, ‘Ah! how ephemeral’, arr. Walter Goehr | 1960 | Two pianos | Discontinued | |
| No. 5, ‘Sheep may safely graze’ | 1942 | Score | Discontinued |
• Arrangements:
Ah! how ephemeral’, arranged for two pianos, by Walter Goehr, c.1960. See publication information above.
The Wise Virgins: complete ballet, arranged by Philip Lane. This version incorporates the entire orchestral suite.
• Adaptations: The suite to The Wise Virgins was itself used as the basis for the following ballet:
Cantus Firmus. Jeanne Brabants choreography. First Performance: Friday, 15 May 1970. Royal Flemish Opera House, Antwerp. Ballet van Vlaanderen. Frieda Brijs, Philip Vervoort principals. Royal Flemish Opera House Orchestra, Luigi Martelli conductor.
• Recordings:
| Orchestra | Conductor | Year | Compact Disc | Timing |
| City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra | Louis Frémaux | 1976 | EMI Classics 5 73998 2 | 19’29” |
| London Philharmonic | Bryden Thomson | 1990 | Chandos CHAN 8871 | 19’46” |
| English Northern Philharmonia | David Lloyd-Jones | 2001 | Naxos 8.555868 | 18’12” |
| BBC Concert Orchestra | Barry Wordsworth | 2003 | ASV DCA 1168 | 17’55”
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