The first time I came across the music of William Boyce was when I was a chorister at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor where we sang several of his anthems. However, it was not until I was a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) that I came across his eight symphonies and I remember being struck at once by their charm, vitality and wit. Mt first dog, when a puppy, chewed up my score of the symphonies (obviously only out of good taste – she did the same to my score of Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro) but I have always felt a strong affinity for these sparkling pieces, and my fondness for them prompted this work which is an affectionate tribute to a composer whom H. Robbins Landon described as “without doubt England’s most talented composer after Purcell”. For this suite I suppose I have done something similar to Stravinsky in Pulcinella (but with a more modest skill) and his shadow consciously pervades the orchestration. Some of Boyce’s themes I have used are obviously stated albeit with the rhythmic stresses considerably altered, whilst others are more disguised (the bass line of the final movement of his last symphony is used as the theme in the Pavane). The six movements of the suite are: Overture. Gavotte. Minuets I & II. Pavane. Jigg, and Rondel.