Henk Herman Badings

Golden Age

In 1979 Badings was commissioned to compose a work in several parts for symphonic band which could also be performed by amateur players. This commission resulted in 'Golden Age', a composition in which he used a lot of material borrowed from the Dutch 17th century folklore. It is a four-part suite. The first part evokes the pompous dignity of The Hague, the 'distin-guished royal village' as it was so deliciously described by the poet Constan-tijn Huygens. The second part is a gaillarde with a double (repetition with ornaments). The third part is a canonic march based on a Frisian theme. The final part is a quick gigue (jig) containing a fugue in which all previous themes rerturn in a virtuoso way.